Trial of the Gods
by Masseffect-TxS
Summary: "Jaune Arc, do you wish to change the fate of your World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? …Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"
1. Chapter I: The Gods of Remnant

RWBY: Trial of the Gods

"Jaune Arc, do you wish to change the fate of your World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? …Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"

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 **A/N a little experiment I want to try. Yes, it's a time travel fic, but I wanted to make it different from Restart. Kind of a mixture between RWBY and God of War. But without the killing of Gods, and instead, aid Jaune on his journey to stop Salem. I will continue my other fics, I just want to get this one and another story I have in mind posted before I do so.  
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 **Let me know what you think and if I should continue this story? Please leave a review and welcome to RWBY: Trial of the Gods!**

 **A/N this is an edited version due to episode 3 of Season 6 - The Lost Fable. Watch it on Rooster Teeth. I will have to go back and edit alot of my stories becuase of it...oh boy.**

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Chapter I: The Gods of Remnant (Edited)

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Rose…Crimson…Scarlet…Red was an intense and beautiful colour that always managed to capture the attention of anyone around it. It affiliates itself from the sensations of lust and love to the warnings of danger, blood and fire. It is a hot, strong and vibrant colour that always brought out excitement and energy in everything around it…

But to Jaune, Red was a colour that haunted his nightmares, soothed his dreams and stained his hands while being a sad reminder of someone he lost so many years ago and the many that had once stood close to him until the end. It was also the shade he had seen stain his hands too many times…

Just as it did once again.

Jaune held his hands on the chest of a young girl as the vibrant shade of red slowly leaked between his fingers and spread across her chest and floor. "Ruby, stay with me!" his hands pressed tight as he willed his aura into her, ignorant of the fact his hands no longer glowed with his semblance and the blood that freely flowed from his side.

"Don't you die, damn it! Don't you dare die on me! Ruby!" he yelled as he continued to try and summon his aura.

But no matter what he tried, he had nothing left to give…

"Damn it! Damn it! Not again! Not again!" he pressed his hands harder to her chest. Small tears landing on his blood-stained hands as he cried in both anguish and rage.

"J-Jaune?" he looked back as Ruby slowly smiled at him "…You're alright…I'm…I'm glad…." She said in between breaths as her silver eyes – that had once brimmed with innocence and life – were slowly fading to a dull grey.

"Ruby! Thank the Gods! J-Just hold on! I'll get you patched up! You're not going to die!" he continued to try and summon any power that was left in his system. But after the long and hard battle, they just went through even his massive reserves were depleted…

Which meant he had no power left for his semblance. A small hand grasped his own as he looked at the sad smiling face of Ruby.

"Jaune…it's okay…there's nothing you can do…" he furiously shook his head as he pressed his hands against her chest. A familiar shade of red hair and emerald eyes drifted over his memories as he refused to let it happen again. Not to another person that he cared for.

"No…No…not again…not again…" a firm grip brought him back to her as he looked at the dying form of his best friend.

"Jaune…are the others a-alright? Did...did we win at least? Is it over?" she asked as small rose petals scattered around her form, the colour slowly fading from her face as he held her close.

"…Yeah...yeah, it's over, everyone's fine, w-we won. You did it...you saved the world, and Sanctuary will be safe now because of you..." Ruby only smiled softly as she shook her head.

"Jaune…You never were good at lying..."

Silence drowned the castle as he looked sadly at the girl. "Salem told me during the fight...they're all dead, aren't they?" Jaune lowered his head as he sighed and looked at all of their friends that lay dead before them. Some holding each other, while others lay strewn across the floor.

"Yeah...all of them are dead and Sanctuary's gone…that must have been why there was so little resistance in the palace. She sent the bulk of her forces to our hideout when we began our attack, I saw the smoke on the way up. She lured us into a trap...and we fell for it..." Ruby nodded as her eyes slowly began to close.

"But at least...at least we avenged them, right? There will be no one to control the Grimm now...there is still hope?" she asked as Jaune sadly shook his head.

"...You know I can't lie to you..."

She chuckled as her eyes began to close, "Oh yeah...because I know you so well..." the small petals of red roses drifting around her form slowed as her breathing became slower and slower. "Later...Vomit-Boy..." Until the petals stopped floating and scattered to the wind...

He remained still as a stone as the wind blew gently across the tower, unable to say anything to the death of his last friend. He picked up her body and held her close to his chest as his blood mixed in with hers and tears streaked down his face.

"See ya...Crater-Face..."

Silence drowned the world around him, as he sat there cradling the lifeless form of his first best friend.

"...How _romantic_..."

Jaune slowly opened his eyes as he heard that voice, "I remember a time when I once spouted that _sentential dribble..._ but that was before I became this," he turned and glared at the source of the voice

He was greeted with the sight of a pale-faced woman, pinned to the wall with an overly large broken scythe, as the blade punctured her chest and spilt her blood across the throne room. A look of annoyance on her face as she watched the rose warrior say her final farewell. This woman was the true mastermind behind the Fall of Vale, the Mistral Massacre, The Annihilation of Atlas and the Eradication of Vacuo and the overlord of all Grimm.

Salem...Ozpin's greatest enemy...his former love...and the reason for all this death...

"You're still alive? Of course, you are. You just don't know when to die, do you? Though with that blade in your chest I doubt you'll be living much longer," the woman chuckled as black blood dripped from her lips.

"It takes more than an oversize garden tool to finish me off...though I admit, I don't see myself living much longer either. Amazing, that mere children managed to undo the curse the Gods placed upon me...how I have wished for this..." she chuckled as black blood slipped from her lips.

He stared at the woman whose blood slowly inked the floor, as his mind wandered back to mere hours ago, and remembered the final moments before leading this suicide mission. A last-ditch effort to attack the Grimm stronghold and end Salem's tyrannical rule over Remnant.

It was the only move that was left to them that would hopefully secure Sanctuary, humanity's last stronghold, a fighting chance and maybe the possibility of mankind's survival. A team of highly trained warriors, with nothing left to lose, would lay siege to the palace in the moments when its defences were down.

But then Sanctuary fell, and it became not a mission for freedom but a mission to avenge the fallen humanity, by bringing down its leader once and for all...

But for Jaune, it was his only chance to get the revenge he so desperately wished for the one he had lost so long ago...

It had been five years since Beacon fell, since the death of his partner Pyrrha Nikos, that he had been consumed by nothing else if not for vengeance. For five years, he had done nothing but search Remnant for the culprit behind Pyrrha's death, and from Cinder learned the truth about why she died.

Salem's plot, the four maidens, their role in this war, the relics, the truth about Ozpin and everything else. He learned _everything_. But over the many years, he had realized that humanity would lose.

They had lost the moment they let Beacon fall.

"Why are you still alive? The Maidens are gone; the Relics can't help and your allies are no more… Why can't you do us all a favour and die already?" the woman chuckled as black blood trickled down her lip.

"...I don't know...I have wanted death ever since the Twin Gods cursed me for attempting to bring back my lost love...I guess the many years I have spent living has made my body harder to kill." She paused as she coughed black blood from her lips.

"A lot of people died because of you," he glared she chuckled as she shook her head.

"The Gods...they are the true cause of all of this. How I still curse their names for what they did to me so long ago. But can you really blame me? They denied me both **love** and **death**. Made me walk this earth for centuries because I wanted back the one thing that made me **happy**...then they turned that against me against me..." Jaune stared in silence before a dark chuckle escaped his lips.

"...You understand, don't you child? What it's like to lose someone you love?" he nodded as she looked at the fragmented moon. "All I wanted was the man I loved returned to me, to be by his side again and live a normal life...was that so bad?" Jaune felt conflicted as he thought about his partner from long ago.

"You know...if you had just realised what you did, none of this would have happened? My friends wouldn't have died...my partner would still be here...but you took that away from me." Jaune said as he shook his head and carefully placed Ruby on the floor, placing her cloak over her body and shrouding her face.

She chuckled as she nodded her head. "Maybe...but the Gods can be cruel...can't they?"

He looked over to his left as he spotted the gun mechanism of Crescent Rose – still functional – before he looked back to Salem as she smirked.

"…Well, aren't you going to do it? Finish what the silver-eyed girl could not accomplish? What Ozpin could not. What the Gods had denied me for so long."

Jaune reached over as he grabbed the rifle, stood up and carefully aimed it at the woman – even as blood kept leaving his wounds and every fibre of his being was screaming at him in pain. But he blocked it all out as he hefted the rifle and aimed down the scope at the woman before him.

His fingers trembled, and his vision blurred as he could feel the last of his strength was about to leave him.

"...At last...my end...has finally...come...thank you"

A loud bang resonated in the chamber before her body slumped and Jaune stared at her headless corpse, the barrel still smoking as he stared at the dead woman that had caused him – and others – so much pain…

On the one hand, he felt sorry for the woman, especially when he knew the truth about her suffering and her curse. How because of the Gods idiocy she tore the world apart. How if they had been just a little kind and returned a grieving woman her lost love or let her join him in the afterlife. Then none of this would have happened...

But on the other hand...she took everything from him...and that he could **never** forgive.

He roared with rage as he cocked back the rifle and fired again. The bullets ripping her apart as he fired again and again and again at the already dead corpse. Achieving little in the overall fact that she was already dead. But none of that mattered as he just kept screaming and shooting at the woman who took everything from him.

Fleshing tearing and ripping off her body as each gunshot resonated in the now empty castle. Till finally the gun ran empty and all he was left was the clicking of an empty cartridge.

He dropped the gun to the floor as rested on his knees and grabbed at his side. his hand covered in blood and no matter what he did, it would not stop. He was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He fell to his back as he stared up at the torn ceiling that revealed the broken moon that hung in the night sky.

A perfect representation of the man he had become, broken, but still strong. But as he looked onto the scorched plains and ruined earth of Remnant, he realised that this victory meant _nothing_.

There was no one left. Humanity had lost, the world was dead. Their victory came at too great a cost, and now there was nothing and no one to claim it. He breathed a shaky breath as he looked back to the sky and thought about everything he lost and everything that had been taken from him as a lone tear streaked down his face.

"Damn it…damn, it…it's not fair…"

The four Relics lay bare around him before they began to shimmer and shine and a bright light flashed before him as he turned away from the blinding light. He grunted and hissed in pain as the light seemed to burn as bright as the sun until finally, it stopped. When his eyes readjusted, they widened considerably as he gazed around at what appeared to be an empty void.

Devoid of all life and colour as the only thing he could feel was a weightless unpleasantly.

"What in the?"

" _Jaune Arc"_ A loud voice spoke as he turned around and gazed in awe.

Before him stood two figures of gargantuan proportions as they easily towered over him. One was a being of pure golden white light with antler-like horns growing from his head stood before him. The other was a being of purple and darkness with goat-like horns growing from his head.

He had no idea who they were, but something told him he had known of them before. But where?

" _Jaune Arc,"_ the White Figure spoke as he looked back to them. _"You stand before the Gods of Light and Darkness, the ones who created your kind, to answer for the extinction of the human race."_ The being of Light spoke as the Dark one drew closer.

" **Your kind has failed in the task we gave Ozma years ago. You allowed Salem to ravage your world and bring forth our judgement."** The Dark Being said as the Light stood tall over him.

" _Because of your inability to defeat Salem in time, Remnant is lost and humanity will be judged as a failed species…what do have to say in your final words?"_

Jaune could only stare up in disbelief as the Gods that created him towered over him, not believing what they told him.

Were they serious? Were they really blaming him for what happened to the world? Were they really going to ignore their own part in this catastrophe? But if it wasn't that, that pissed him off, it was the way they spoke to him. It was almost like a parent scolding a child for breaking something.

He should have expected no less, they were Gods after all while he was a mere mortal to them.

So, of course, they would blame him for the extinction of mankind and Salem bringing forth all the Relics. But when he thought about it, it wasn't his fault that the world ended up like it was, it was theirs for what they had done years ago.

So yeah, he had something to say to the Gods of Remnant.

"Oh yeah…I have something to say…" the gods looked down upon him as he drew in a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs…

"FUCK YOU!"

Absolute silence met the two Gods as they, for the first time in over a thousand millennia, stared in disbelief at the mortal that stood before – who had screamed _Fuck You_ directly to their faces. This had _never_ happened to them before. There was no way a mortal – let alone a human – had ever bravely stood before them and cursed in front of them.

They were stunned, for the first time in eternity they were stunned.

" _E-Excuse me?"_ the God of Light asked as Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, you heard me! _Fuck! __You!_ You have _no right_ to say that after I just lost everyone I ever cared about!" he glared at the Gods before him.

"My home is gone! My friends and my family are dead! The only one who ever believed in me sacrificed herself to keep me safe! And I just watched my last friend die in my arms! And what is it the first thing you Gods do?! You blame me for everything that's happened! How dare you blame me for what happened to the world! How dare you blame me for not stopping it when there was no way I could have prevented it! And how dare you think yourself better than me! You have no right to cast blame on me when all of it is your fault in the first place!" he yelled as the Gods grew angry at this.

" **Careful of what you claim, Mortal! We are not responsible for the state of your world, we left your kind centuries ago because of your kinds greed and misuse of our gifts. What happened afterwards was your own doing!"** Jaune shook his head at this.

"No, it wasn't, it was Salem's! She tricked everyone to stand up against you! She was the one who wanted to use the Relic! She was the one who took control of _your_ Grimm! But the funny thing is, she's not really to blame for all of this! When you really think about it, it's actually **your fault,** to begin with!" he accused the Gods as they glared at him.

" **Us! How are we at fault for this!?"**

"You're the ones who thought it was a good idea to give a grieving woman eternal life!? For what!? For wanting to bring back someone she loved! But instead of granting her that wish or heavens forbid let her rejoin him in the afterlife, you instead cursed her with never-ending ending life and then send her dead love to clean up your mess! Great idea jackass!" he pointed to the God of Light who flinched back at his rage.

"You're Gods, Omniscient beings that should know everything. You've watched us from the day we were born, you should have understood her pain! What did you think was going to happen?! That she wouldn't curse your names and try to get back at you for it?! What kind of Gods are you?!" he yelled as the Gods seemed to glare at him before the God of Light spoke.

" _We believed that she would come to understand her transgression against the balance we created. Your world was an experiment to see if you could find peace and balance within yourselves_ _. But you were deceived and turned against each other and us so easily. Clearly, we were wrong about your kind…it was why we left you centuries ago."_

"That's bullshit! If you had left then why did you have to send Ozpin back?! Why did he have to fix up your mistake for cursing her with immortality?! If you truly were Gods, then you would have done something about it!"

" **We could not. There are Rules that even** _ **we**_ **must abide by. Salem was Ozma's problem, and he had to resolve it. Not us,"** Jaune chuckled as he shook his head.

"Really? Then answer me this, if you had the power to curse her with unending life then surely you could've taken it away, right? You took away our magic, why couldn't you do the same to her? End all of the sufferings before it could happen. But you didn't, instead, you sent Ozpin to do your dirty work. Because you couldn't admit that you were wrong..." He laughed as he shook his head and glared up at them.

"Ancestors forgive me, but I actually **agree** with **Salem**! It's all your fault! You're hypocrites! Both of you! Spouting your reasons and excuses for keeping the balance when in actuality you're the ones who messed it up in the first place! Even now you're blaming me for something you did centuries ago." he looked down as he thought about the last thousand years.

"Because of you two, Salem made everyone's life miserable, manipulated so many of my friend's lives and had the only person who _truly believed in me_ killed because she got pulled into Ozpin's darkness…everything and everyone is gone…and I'm never going to see them again…" he then glared up.

"Which is why you are going to change _everything_ and put it back to the way it was… ** _Right_** … _ **Now**!_" he commanded as the Gods glared at him.

" _You dare command_ _us?!_ _The Gods who created you?! To fix your world!?"_ his form shifting and changing until he was a large serpent-like dragon.

" **Do you have any idea what we can do to you for your arrogance?!"** the anger in the Gods voice as resonated in the void as he became a large skeletal dragon with dark purple flames spewing from his mouth. Any lesser men would have been quaking in their boots by now...

But Jaune was no lesser man anymore and he didn't care…he had nothing else to lose.

"Oh yes, I know…and I am. You can punish me all you want, disintegrate my soul, banish me from death like you did Salem and Oz. Deny me the chance to see my friends again, but it won't matter to me…" he drew his weapon as he transformed it into its two-hander form.

"Because whatever you'll do will only prove that I'm right… you're no _Gods_ …you're just _children_ that can't take responsibility for your actions and keep on repeating the same mistakes..." he gripped his sword as he prepared to fight.

"…And I'll be damned before I pray to either of you…"

A beat of silence drifted between the three as none dared to move. Until suddenly a loud laughter began to resonate in the void as all three of them looked around.

"By the Ancient One! I've never seen a human actually stand up to a _God_ like that! That is priceless!" a pillar of fire appeared as another towering figure appeared before them.

The figure taller than the two other Gods as its being was red like fire dressed in armour forged from molten rock, with all his hair swaying like fire in the wind. The colossal being chuckled as he looked at the Gods of Light and Darkness as they reverted back to human form.

"This is the first time I've ever seen _you two_ show any kind of shock whatsoever! Oh man, that is hilarious!" the being laughed.

 _"Ignis! What are you doing here?! This is not your concern!_ " the God of Light spoke as the now named Ignis grinned.

"Oh, come on. I wanted to see the first mortal that has ever actually had the courage to curse you two to your faces. You always did proclaim them as your 'Perfect Creation' on this earth after all. To see one making you stammer for the first time in Millennia is so worth it!" he grinned as the Light God glared.

" **We have this under control, Brother!"** Darkness claimed as the fire God grinned.

"Oh, I can see that. Great job, by the way, letting all your creations die like that. You _totally_ have this under control," he mocked as the twin Gods glared.

" _That's enough, Ignis."_ A pillar of water shot out from nowhere as a gigantic woman made from pure water appeared, holding a vase in her arms with clothes that swayed like water, as she glared at the burning being.

 _"There's no need for that, Light and Dark are embarrassed enough as it is without your blunt honesty reminding them,"_

Jaune only stared in confusion as he watched the bizarre scene.

"But you've got to admit Aquarius that this is funny? I mean how long has it been since a _mortal_ has actually stood up to one of us? Not even Ozpin had the spine to argue with these two knuckleheads when he was brought before them," the Light and Dark brothers flinched at the comment.

" _He does have a point, sister."_ Two pillars of wind and lightning appeared as two beings made of hurricanes and thunderstorms stood next to the fire.

 _"It is the first time a Mortal has ever had the gall to stand before us Gods and curse us to our faces."_ The female wind deity spoke as the thunder deity crossed his arms.

 **"** _ **And these two do deserve it for their error of judgement and creating the very cause of its destruction. Something they were warned not to do."**_ the deity spoke with a thunderous voice as the Brothers looked almost afraid at seeing the new beings.

"Yeah!" a slightly smaller being said that radiated with pink and love as she floated around the two brothers.

"Mum and Dad warned them _multiple_ _times_ not to leave that poor woman alive with immortality, but they never listened~!" the smaller woman said in a sing-song voice as she zipped away from the glare of the Dark God.

" _Why are you all even here?! This Mortal is our concern, he is from one of our creations and not any of yours!"_ Light argued before a new voice spoke.

"Now, now children…" a kind voice spoke as an extremely tall tree took shape before becoming the visage of a beautiful woman with plants and mountains growing off her body as she towered over the blue, red, black and white beings.

"There is no need to fight amongst yourselves,"

 **"** _ **Mother!"**_ the twin Gods shrieked as the tall woman looked them.

"The Mortal is no longer your concern, my Sons, and there is a reason for us all being here. And Ignis, be nicer to your siblings, they're in enough trouble as it is. How would you feel if one of your creations started shouting at you?" Ignis scoffed at this.

"First Mom, fire can't speak, and even if it could speak it would say it loves me. I'm her daddy after all, and the Sun is my precious baby!" the tall fiery being said as Gaia rolled her eyes.

"Enough!"

An old and ancient voice spoke as clockwork-like shapes appeared before an even taller being towered over the other four gods. "Why is it that every time we met up like this, you are always arguing amongst yourselves?" the being spoke with the voice of wisdom and age. A long white beard and a staff in his hand with an hourglass slowly pouring sand.

" _ **Fat**_ _her_ _ **!"**_ the Twins grew more afraid as the taller being stood before them.

"Oh great, dads here," Ignis said before the staff bonked him on the head. He rubbed his head as he looked at the man. "Ehehehe eh~ Sorry, Pops" the older being sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"I swear I wonder why I put up with your shenanigans?" Gaia placed a hand on his shoulder as he sighed.

"Easy Chronos, remember your blood pressure." She kindly said as the elderly being sighed.

"I wouldn't have a blood pressure if our _children_ weren't always causing problems." He pointed to the two Gods of Light and Dark. "Do these two have any idea what they have done to the Time Stream?" both brothers flinched as the ageing God glared at them.

"They're young dear, they don't know the consequences of their actions." The Old man gave her a deadpan look.

"They're 5 _Billion_ Years Old, Gaia. When we gave them that earth we told them not to meddle with the lives of mortals. Especially when one of them is- !"

"Hey!" all the Gods looked down as Jaune had finally had enough. "Can someone please explain _what the hell_ is going on here?! Because I am _really_ _confused_ here?!"

" **You dare to interrupt our father, you insolent little-!"** the God of Darkness glared before the sound of a cane slammed into the void.

"Enough Darkness!" all were silent as the God of Time glared at his youngest son.

"There is no need for that, the young man merely wants to know why he was truly summoned before us. Our family reunion can wait," he turned down to the last human as his face became gentler.

"I apologise for the rashness of my Sons, Mortal. But you have not been called here to answer for the Extinction of the Human Race. Rather, you have been summoned here for another reason. But first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chronos, I am the God of Time and the father of all these Gods you see before you – aside from Gaia…" he gestured to each one of them.

"You are already familiar with my youngest Children, Light and Dark – the Gods that created you and the Grimm, who also left the Relics on your World," the twin Gods glared at him.

"We've just met" Jaune glared back.

Chronos nodded, "Of course, and I apologise for anything they had said to offend you. This here is Ignis – the God of Fire – who gifted the universe with the Sun and warmth of the Flames." Ignis grinned as he leaned down to the boy.

"Nice to meet you, kid. I got to tell you I love how you tore into these two here, especially since you are right about it being their fault." The Twin Gods were about to argue but one stern glare from Chronos instantly made them quiet.

"This is my eldest daughter Aquarius – the Goddess of Water – who gifted the earth with the oceans and rain," the tall goddess bowed as Jaune did so in return. He already pissed off two Gods at the moment, he would rather not accidentally tick off a third.

"Um…Nice to meet, Miss Aquarius." The Goddess chuckled.

" _No need for formalities young man, it's a pleasure to meet you too."_

"And these are the twins Ventus and Thor – The Twin Gods of Wind and Lightning – they created the air and the storms that keep your world alive," the Wind twin bowed slightly while the Other folded his arms and nodded at the boy.

"And this is my beloved Wife, Gaia – the Goddess of Earth – who created the earth that you stand upon." The tall woman smiled like a mother as Jaune bowed as he didn't want to piss off the being that created–!

"Hey, wait a minute! _You guys_ created the earth?! I thought the planet and everything else was created by the Gods of Light and Dark?" he gestured to the two Gods as they flinched while the others glared at them.

"What have you two been telling these mortals?" Ignis asked as the Gods shoulders sagged. Chronos sighed as he returned his gaze to the boy.

"No, the earth was not created by them. They merely created upon our creations. We gave them the earth you stood upon for their experiment. In your people's texts, it was said that the God of Light created, while the God of Darkness Destroyed. But it never mentions either of them creating the sun or the oceans, or even the Planet itself. Merely the animals and the plants that grew upon her back...Honestly, these two need to learn some humility." Chronos massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Um…sorry, and um thank you, Gaia, for giving a home to my people and um…sorry about the digging and the…polluting?" Jaune said with nervousness as the Motherly Goddess merely shook her head.

"It's quite alright. I will admit that it does hurt to see one of my beautiful worlds be slowly mined and stripped of its resources. But I can assure you that the Earth is stronger than it looks…but do be kinder to it, it is your only home after all," Jaune nodded.

"And this…" the pink sparkle zipped around as she shrunk to the size of a fly as she zipped right into Jaune's face.

"Hi! I'm Venus! – I am the Goddess of Love and Emotions – I was born after Light and Dark put aside their silly differences to create you all. I was created to help regulate all your emotions! My particular favourite is Love~! Oh, there is so much of it and it's such a beautiful thing!" she smiled happily at the last human.

Jaune seemed to almost smile at the Goddess, knowing that love was still a thing.

"I've been watching your kind since the day you were born. And I have seen so much love in this world, especially in your partner…she truly loved you Jaune. And I was saddened to see your love diminish over time. It wasn't fair what happened to you two."

Jaune looked down as he thought of his partner. _Pyrrha_ , the only person who truly believed in him from the beginning. Who saw potential and greatness in him, when he could not. How he wished he could have seen her feelings for him.

Maybe then things could have been different?

"That's enough Venus, those wounds are still fresh to him," Gaia spoke as Venus nodded and returned to the other gods in her gargantuan form.

"Now the next God you shall meet is…" Chronos was cut off as a dark shroud began to appear before them. The shroud becoming a cloak of darkness as a long-handled scythe appeared in the figure's hands. A skeletal face appeared in the hood as empty eyes sockets starred down at him.

"Ah, speak of the Devil. Mortal, this is Death – God of the Underworld and the Carer of Souls. He is my Brother, I'm sure you know of him?" the skeletal being looked down at Jaune as he flinched at the empty gaze.

"I-I'm familiar with him," Death looked down before turning back to Chronos.

" **This is** _ **him?**_ **The one that the Ancient One has deemed worthy?** _ **"**_ the cloaked figure asked as Chronos nodded. Death sighed as he took his place by Chrono's side. **"This is going to be a lot of paperwork you know? I suppose the Ancient One has chosen worst to participate."** that peeked Jaune's interest.

"Um, who's the Ancient One? Sounds like a pretty important…person? And what am I participating in?" he didn't want to assume anything.

"Has mankind truly forgotten the Legend of the Ancient One?" Chronos asked himself before he looked down at the boy.

"The Ancient One is _the One_ , the First and the Last of everything. Who created the Gods of Old and the Universe you reside in, and the many others like it. Who also watches over all in the Multiverse and decides their fate." Chronos spoke as he gestured around him as many planets and stars appeared before them.

"Your world is not the only one in existence...just one more in an ever-expanding multiverse..."

Jaune stared in awe at the many amazing sights that passed before him. Multiple versions of Remnant passed him by as each had a different look and different versions of his friends

"There are many more Gods that you shall meet, but for now we must speak. Jaune Arc, your world is lost and the souls of all your friends now rest in the Eternal Kingdom. Normally, we cannot change what has been done as it would go against the rule of the Universe. Such as the decree of the Ancient One, the being that precedes over all creation…" Jaune's heart sunk as he heard this.

"However"

Jaune's head shot up at this. "The Ancient One has seen the tragedy and the injustice brought upon your world and has taken pity on it. Therefore, has granted you the right to rewrite its fate and give you a second chance," Jaune felt hope for the first time in so long. The Gods of Light and Dark, however, were shocked.

" _What?! Father, you know that such a thing cannot be done. The planet is in ruins and humanity is lost! How would he even go about these changes? He is but a mere Mortal?"_ Light asked as Chronos turned to him.

"He will be taking part in the _Trials of the Gods_ " Light and Dark's eyes widened at this.

 **"The Trials! Him?!"** they both pointed at the young man who looked confused.

" _But the Trials are not meant for Mortals, father! They can only be taken by a God of Remnant or a Champion Chosen by a God! Anyone else would be driven mad!"_ Darkness pointed to the young man.

 **"And he is anything but ready for such a task! He failed to prevent Salem from taking over his world and suffered the consequences for it! He's not worthy of such a task!"**

Chronos shook his head.

"It was not my decision for granting this. It was the Ancient Ones…and you dare go _against_ The Ancient One's Decision?"

Both Gods showed true fear as they looked up to the cosmos around them and the swirling mass of what Jaune could only describe as a vortex of white stars. The twin Gods looked at each other before nodding and bowing to their father. Hoping not to incur the wrath of the One Being that could destroy even them.

Now even Jaune was afraid of this Ancient One and the supposed Trials he had to face.

"What is the Trial? And how will they change my worlds fate?" Jaune asked as Chronos turned to him.

"The Trial of the Gods is an ancient set of tasks that a chosen _Champion_ of the Gods must undertake in order to gain our gifts. Normally its a test for a powerful spirit to ascend to the level of Godhood. But for you, it will allow you to alter the Fate of your world and rewrite it in your favour. We will reverse time back to before the war and give you the chance to change its fate. With each Trial passed you will be rewarded with one of our gifts that you will use to defeat Salem and end her reign before it can begin."

Jaune instantly shook his head as he heard the word _gifts_.

"No, I don't want to accept _any_ gifts from Gods. The last ones left behind by Gods caused a war that destroyed everyone I love. I don't want to risk whatever you give me falling into her hands," Chronos shook his head.

"Fear not, these gifts can only be acquired by _you_ and used _only by you_ should you succeed. Anyone who attempts to take them from you will be met with a severe punishment from the Gods, one that shall have them begging for the mercy of Hell itself." Chronos reassured as Jaune felt a little more at ease with that.

"However, with these Trials there are Rules."

"One: the chosen Champion cannot abandon the Trials once started. If you attempt to do so, then we shall condemn you to eternal torment." Jaune nodded at this. There was no way he was going to quit if it meant bringing his friends back to life.

"Two: We can only go back so far into your own _personal timeline_ from between your birth to your death _._ You cannot go back to when Salem first stole the Grimm and kill her, as you had not existed before then and only met her in your late teens. There are Rules that even _we_ must follow," Jaune sighed but nodded at this. He understood seeing as there were rules that Gods must abide by.

"Three: You are allowed to make four changes to your own timeline that can alter your chances of defeating Salem. Nothing too major and nothing that completely alters the history of your bloodline. And you cannot erase her from existence for she is a part of the Trial itself. Not to mention the Curse that is still upon her. We can only make changes that alter your chances, not change them."

"Four: The Gifts we shall grant you must be mastered after you acquire them before you can use them in battle. You have to earn them in order to control them." Jaune nodded. From his experience, nothing can be simply given and mastered in an instant.

Fifth: Your knowledge in how to defeat Salem will be taken from you. This trial is a fair one. It would go against the rules if you knew how to defeat your enemy so easily. I am sorry Mortal," the god of time spoke as Jaune sighed.

"There's always a catch...fine...I'll figure it out again, eventually."

"And Finally, should you fail in this Trial, even once. Your soul will be banished to the deepest pits of hell and you will never see your loved ones again. Do you understand?"

Jaune took a moment to weigh the conditions of the Trial. If he succeeded, then he could prevent the entire War, save everyone and stop Salem from killing all of his friends…even Pyrrha. But if he failed, he would be sent to the pits of hell and he would never get to see his friends again…forever.

But the chance to change the fates of his friends, even if it cost him his soul if he failed...he would gladly take it.

He gripped his fist as he knew his answer.

"I'll do it…I take the Trial"

Chronos and the other Gods – even Light and Dark Reluctantly – nodded as they circled around the Arc. "Now, what changes do you wish to make to your timeline? Choose carefully, for once you make it there can be no hesitations."

Jaune thought for a moment as he considered what things he needed change to his own time stream. He never met Salem until he was older, so that was out of the question. He couldn't also just wish for some sort of superweapon to kill her once and for all because that would go against the rules of the trial and he needs to earn their gifts.

But he also needed to improve his chances of winning, but what if he didn't? "Question, can I do anything to the Relics?" he asked as the God of Time nodded.

"Yes, so long as it doesn't fully affect the time stream. You can alter even the Relics themselves," the God of Time answered as Jaune nodded knowing what to do.

"First: I want to be brought back to six months before the Vytal Tournament. That should give me time to improve myself and make my progress more believable to others." Chronos nodded seeing the logic in that.

"Second: I want to be able to retain my current power and fuse it to my past self. This way I only have to retrain my body rather than build up my Aura reserves again."

"Third: I want to return Ozpin's powers back to what they were before he was cursed. While I admit I no longer trust him anymore after all the shit he's done, the guy has suffered long enough. And it would be good to have a powerful ally on my side. But if he tries that shit again with Pyrrha I get to decide his fate."

The Gods nodded at this.

"And finally, I want you to take away the Relics power but leave their shells behind with only a sense of their power. That way even if I fail and my soul is sent to Hell, Salem will not be able to get her hands on them. They've caused enough pain for one lifetime, I'd rather not let them ruin another." Chronos looked to the Gods of Light and Dark as they looked ready to argue but nodded as they began to realise their error in leaving them behind.

"Very well, we shall make these changes to your timeline. But there will be conditions for them, as are most things in life. First: retaining your current power will be a trial on its own. Your younger body may not be able to handle that much power, no telling what it would do to your mind?"

"I can handle it, too many have doubted me before." The God nodded at this.

"Second, we cannot just return Ozpin's power back to its original state. You must be the one to gift him this power, only if you survive the journey back in time." Jaune nodded as he figured something like that would happen.

"Finally, we can remove the Relics power, as their vaults are in a sperate dimension from Earth and is a simple task for us. But why do you wish to remove only their power? Why not remove them entirely?"

"Because then there will be nothing that motivates Salem to attack us. She did all of this just to gain the Relics. If I remove them completely, then she will have no reason to come to me. Leaving the shells behind will make her think they are still there and become the perfect bait to draw her to her doom...plus it will be a nice trick to play on her for once," the Gods nodded at this.

"One last thing young Arc, once this is done there can be no second chances. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Are you sure this is what you want?" Jaune nodded. "Very well, then let's begin…"

"Jaune Arc, do you wish to change the fate of the World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin?" Chronos asked with a powerful voice, full of authority and might. Jaune nodded with no hesitation in his eyes. He had lost too many and sacrificed too much to give up this chance.

No way he would back down now.

"…Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So commands the Gods of Remnant!" Chronos slammed his staff into the ground as the many stars in the cosmos shined.

His body glowed as the world around him began to shift and change. Bringing him back to the tower and back to when he finally killed Salem once and for all. Then like the rewind on his scroll, the world began to rewind as everything was turning back. Back to before the War had ravaged their lives. Back to before the world knew of the horrors that were Salem and her acolytes. Back to when he and his friends were young and innocent.

Back to before everything…

Everything slowing down as he found himself back in the cafeteria at Beacon. Everyone was frozen as if they were statues in a garden. He looked over at his old table as his heart ached at the many familiar faces that surrounded him.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ren, Nora…and Pyrrha.

All of them alive and well and smiling at the peace that once reigned over their world. He looked over at his younger self as he wondered how it was he ever survived the past five years of hell that would befall him. But then he looked at all of his friends and partner as he knew that they were the only reason he lived so long…

And why he was never going to fail them again.

* * *

Five Years Ago – Beacon Academy

* * *

Jaune smiled as he and his friends were gathered around their usual table. Ruby standing at the font of the table telling them all about all the fun activates that she had planned – while also denying the fact she stole Weiss's binder. it was times like these that he enjoyed the peaceful life that he had with his friends. Especially now that the whole Cardin incident had blown over and he made up with his partner.

Now the only thing he had to worry about was the Vytal Festival that was coming up in a few months, which meant he had to step up his training with Pyrrha and find a date for the Beacon dance that was coming in only four. All he had to do now was to start asking Weiss out if he wanted to get a date.

But he wasn't worried about that. So long as he just followed his dad's advice about asking out girls, then Weiss should accept his request to go to the dance. He looked over to all his friends as he smiled.

Yep, things were finally looking up for-!

Suddenly he felt like his head was hit by a jackhammer as he grabbed the side of his head. This seemed to stop everything at the table as he grunted in pain.

"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, instantly concerned about her partner as he shook it off and nodded.

"Urgh, y-yeah I'm fine. Just a headache, must have stayed up too late reading X-Ray and Vav again?" he answered weakly as a migraine still rung in his head. "I'm fine, don't worry about-gah!"

Another migraine batted inside his skull as he grabbed both sides of his head. Strange images flashed across his vision as the ringing in his ears grew louder. He felt a warm liquid run down his lips as he only just managed to open his eyes to see a small drop of blood land on the table.

"Gah!" he choked out as another migraine pounded his brain.

Eyes widened as another drop of blood landed on the table, this time dripping from his right eye as he cried out in pain. "Argh!" he screamed out as his entire nervous system felt like it was burning from the inside.

"Jaune?!" his friends cried out as he fell back and landed on the floor.

His body writhing in agony as the migraines increased. Everyone in the cafeteria back off as someone called out to get the teacher while his friends gathered around to help him. But Jaune could barely hear anything as his mind pounding like a hammer against an anvil.

Strange images of Beacon lying in ruin appeared before him as he tried to make sense of it all. The voices of his friends screaming all around him as one by one they fell to a pale visage with glowing red eyes. Four glowing lights appeared to him, before what looked like an enhanced version of his blade shattered them into pieces.

The last image he saw, however, was a vision of Pyrrha kissing him on his lips before sending him away in a rocket-propelled locker. Then her circlet in his hands as his tear covered face stared back at its reflection.

His eyes winded in shock as he found himself standing before an older version of himself. His armour different as his stance was taller than his own as the man glared at him. He held out a hand to him as the man placed his hand on the side of his head.

"I'm sorry…" the man spoke as he watched himself start to blend into each other. "But for the survival of our friends, this has to happen…do not worry, you will not die…but you will never be the same again." memories and personality started to blend as Jaune felt himself becoming something else. Something…

More

His entire body exploded with light as his physical body matched the same as pure aura exploded off his body. Tables were pushed back, bodies were thrown all over the room and windows shattered into a million pieces. Showering anyone passing by with tiny fragments if the glass.

But none of that mattered as Jaune fell down to the floor, his aura swirling like a flame before dying out and receding back into his comatose body. No one said a word as everyone from teacher to student stared at the boy in the centre of the room, wondering what it was that had set off that strange reaction.

None of them could have known what would become of this. And if they had, then they would have recoiled in horror at the event that was to come and prayed for his success.

But now the first trial had begun. Jaune had travelled back to the beginning, fused with his younger self and became something in between. Not Jaune of the past, nor Jaune of the future. He was someone else. Someone who had to compete in trials designed by the very Gods themselves in order to change the fate of his world…

May the Gods truly have mercy on his soul.

* * *

 **And Scene. Well, here is the first chapter of Trial of the Gods, something that just popped into my head one day and I just had to write down. Fear not, I'm still working on the main stories you all live and even working on a few of my old ones. But I have one more story to work on and try to balance it with my one social life.  
**

 **Tell me what you think and if I should continue with this story?**

 **And stay tuned for Chapter II: The First Trial**

* * *

 **List of the** **Gods**

* * *

 **God of Light – Older brother to the Twin Gods (RWBY Owned)**

 **God of Darkness – Youngest Brother of the Twin Gods (RWBY Owned)**

 **Ignis (Latin for Fire) – God of fire and the Sun who gifted the universe with the light and warmth of his fire that protected life from darkness. But also, brought the destructive and unrelenting power of flames.**

 **Aquarius (Zodiac Sign) – Goddess of the water and oceans that filled the sky and the sea with water and nutrient for plants and animals. But also, the destructive and unrelenting power of the waves.  
**

 **Ventus & Thor (Latin for Wind and Nordic God of Thunder) – Are the Twin Gods of the Wind and Thunder, that breathed life into the world of Remnant. It is they that moves the clouds and cools the earth from overheating. But can also bring a thunderous wrath upon the world.  
**

 **Gaia (Greek Mythology) – The Goddess of the Earth and Mother of the Gods. It was she who crafted the Earth and the plants from her body and gifted the inhabitants of the planet with a home to stand upon. And while pained at the way her planet is treated, she still cares and loves all living creatures on Remnant.**

 **Chronos (Greek Mythology) – The God of Time and Father to all the Gods. (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE TITAN CRONOS) It is he who created the concept of time and brought about beginnings and endings of all things. He is the husband of Gaia and the keeper of all Time.  
**

 **Venus (Roman Mythology) – The Goddess of Love and Emotion. Born after the creation of mankind to help regulate their emotions. Helps to match those who are truly in love and bears the weight of every soul on the planet…has strange hobbies.  
**

 **Death – The God of the Underworld and Carer of Souls – It is he who ferries the souls of the deceased to one of the three afterlives. Purgatory, Heaven and Hell. The being has no gender and judges all based on your sin and actions in life. He does not tolerate those that cheat their appointed hour. However, he is lenient in certain events but ultimately will claim their souls eventually.  
**

* * *

 **Possible Gods to include in later chapters:**

* * *

 **The Fates (Greek Mythology) – The Gods of Destiny and Fate – Who weaves the webs of Fate of the Past, Present and Future and watches over all beings in the universe. they do not control the fates, merely spin threads of destiny based on the choices of those who live. To those who live good lives, good fortune. For those who lead bad lives, bad fortune.**

 **Kratos – God of War…self-explanatory**


	2. Chapter II: Back to the Beginning

RWBY: Trial of the Gods

"So, you wish to change the fate of the World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"

 **Due to episode 3 of Season 6 - The Lost Fable. Watch it on Rooster Teeth before reading this. I will have to go back and edit a lot of my stories because of it...oh boy that is a lot to handle. I will also be editing the first few chapters of this story as well. Reread chapters 1 & 2 before reading this one. Thank you and damn…the RWBY Gods are dicks.**

* * *

Chapter II: Back to the Beginning (Edited)

* * *

Light slowly peeked through the slits of his eyes as Jaune slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he felt when he woke up was a head-splitting headache that was currently doing a number on his skull. His head felt like he drank one of Ren's herbal drinks, had Nora bash it with her hammer while Yang recited every pun in Vale's 1001 pun book…

Yeah, that bad

"Oh man, that _hurt_. I am _never_ doing that again…question is, did it work?" He looked around the room he was currently in. Pristine white with medical equipment, the overbearing stench of antiseptic.

"Yep, I'm in the infirmary. Been here too many times to recognise this place. Cardin used to send me here five times a week." He looked around at the room as he felt strange being back in what should be a pile of rubble.

Yet here it was, pristine, well maintained and not a single sign of damage. It was…unnerving.

"So, this is the past? …I could have sworn it was bigger?" he looked down at his hand as he flexed the bones and muscles in hands as he found the sensation weird. He felt different, not old like he did in the future, but not as young as he used to feel back in the past – or present as the case may be.

"Okay, this is definitely weird. Is it supposed to feel like this? I feel like me but I feel…strange? Like I'm wearing someone's clothes, excepting they're my own. How did Ozpin deal with all this? ...Though I never did ask how he did this so often. And I don't think he ever had his own subconscious shoved inside a younger version of himself? Just always someone else's." he removed the blanket off his legs as he slowly stood up.

He stumbled slightly as he managed to grab the bed in time.

"Whoa! Okay, new legs! …or rather old legs? Got to get used to that. Argh, time travel, it's all so confusing." He stumbled his way over to the mirror in the room as he looked at himself.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he found the image he saw to be confusing and odd. He was half expecting to see his future self in the reflection. Yet the man in the mirror was what he used to see when he was younger. Full of naïve innocence. Completely different from the battle-hardened warrior he had become in the last five years.

The only thing different was his eyes, older and open to the harsh reality of the world...

Reality

That also begged the question, was any of this actually real? Did he actually meet the Gods of Remnant, agreed to participate in a trial that would avert the horrors that he saw in the future? Or was everything just wishful thinking and this was all a recreation from his years of pain and he was actually still dying back in Salem's castle.

Or was he dead and made it into Heaven and it chose to take this shape?

"Would make sense if it did, Beacon was the only place I ever felt I truly belonged, figures if the afterlife looks like the place you feel the most comfortable in…I just hope that it wasn't a dream and that this is-!" his musing was cut off as he heard the door open up behind him and he turned to see who entered.

Everything seemed to stop for him as he looked at the startled form of his long-dead partner.

He studied every feature of her face from the red of her hair to the emerald green of her eyes, to even the pale texture of her skin from the numerous and obsessive amounts of times he played back her instructional videos. He memorised everything about the one person who always believed in him. Who always saw what he could not and pushed him to be what he dreamed to be. Only to die before she could ever reach her dream, or share the feelings she hid from him for so long.

And yet there she was standing in front of him as if the past five years had never happened. Like she had never died.

"Jaune! You're awake! Are you okay? What are you doing out of bed?" she walked over to him as she gently placed a hand on his bicep. "You shouldn't be up, the doctors said you had some kind of seizure that affected your aura. We're not sure what happened but you shouldn't be moving about-"

Her voice stated drifting away from him as he just stared at her.

He stared at the girl who gave her life for him, who sacrificed so much for him and never asked for anything in return. Not even his love. Even now, she still cared about him even though he knew that six months from now she would be murdered by a woman who craved power. His heart ached when he thought about all the kindness she had shown him, while he had been ignorant of her heart.

Pyrrha looked concerned when she stopped rambling and noticed the intense gaze that was on her partners face.

"Jaune, are you okay? Why are you staring at me like-!" she never got to finish as two arms wrapped themselves around her and held her tight. She was instantly stunned before her face went red as she felt the warm breath of her partner on her neck, sending a rather pleasant chill down her spine.

"J-Jaune?! W-what are you?!"

"You're here…" she looked confused as he held her tighter, almost as if she was going to disappear. "You're really here…it's not a dream, you're alright."

Pyrrha didn't know how to respond as the boy just continued to hold her in a warm embrace. She came in here hoping to see him recover from the strange incident in the cafeteria. The sudden release of aura, coupled with his writing on the floor in agony was frightening for her. Her heart had never beat so fast when she saw him screaming in pain.

Yet instead of finding him still sleeping, he was awake and acting strangely. What had happened to her partner, why was he acting this way?

However, that was when she realised that her _crush_ was _hugging_ her. His arms wrapped tight around her midsection as his face was buried in the nook of her neck. Her face instantly resuming its blushing state as she had no idea what to do. Should she be getting him to stop? Should she hug back?

Should she read this as some kind of sign that _maybe_ he had some form of _deeper affection_ for her?

That last one made her blush even more.

But really, what would someone think if they walked in on them? "Ah, it would appear, young students, that Mister Arc is awake. Though I do believe we have walked in on something…private?"

The answer to her question came in the sudden appearance of the headmaster as she managed to crane her head to see the rest of their friends and the teachers staring at them. Slightly stunned or amused faces present as Yang grinned at the pair, while Nora seemed to be absolutely giddy looking at the two. Even Ozpin looked somewhat amused while Glynda had a raised eyebrow.

"Are we interrupting something, or can we come in?" Yang teased as Pyrrha blushed and tried to stammer out an answer.

However, it was at that moment that Jaune finally stopped hugging – much to her disappointment – and looked at all the others. His mind going back to each and every one of them as he saw their deaths before his eyes. His heart momentarily ached as he looked upon all of them but would not allow himself to cry. He could not afford to cry now.

"Guys…uh, sorry. I'm a little…d _isoriented_ at the moment. I'm sorry if I worried you?" Yang scoffed at this.

"That's putting it mildly, you blew up the entire cafeteria, Vomit Boy! And you started bleeding from the eye! Your eye! What the hell was all that about?" she asked as Glynda glared at her.

"Language Miss Xiao Long," Goodwitch lectured as the blond brawler nodded sheepishly.

"Though she is right, can you care to explain what happened in the cafeteria? From what we've gathered from your friends you started having headaches with blood coming out of your eye, before screaming in pain and unleashing a rather large amount of aura. Are you unwell?" she asked.

Jaune looked at all of them as he rubbed his right eye. The mixed memories of pain and the blood that ran from his eye were still fresh as he figured it must have something to do with coming back in time. The God of Time did warn him about merging his soul with his younger self. He knew the risk of coming back, and it looked like he passed…

But still, he was never going to do _that_ again. One trip was enough for him.

"Um…I…I don't know what happened? My head started hurting and the next thing I knew I'm waking up here. I can't really explain what happened to me, but I can assure you it won't happen again." Glynda was not as convinced.

"That is rather concerning, are you sure you cannot think of anything that may have triggered it?" Ozpin asked as he stared at the boy. His gaze focused as he was perplexed by the sudden event. Something he had not foreseen in the boy.

"Regardless, what happened in the cafeteria is a serious matter. We cannot afford to have a similar event happening again. Which is why I will be forced to contact your parents to inform them of your condition and have you transferred to the hospital until further notice," eyes widened at this as they all turned to the headmistress.

"What?! No! you can't do that! I-I'm fine, really! It won't happen again!" Jaune pleaded with the woman.

"Yeah! You can't make Fearless Leader go away to that awful place! He'll be forced to eat that horrible _'Hospital Food'_ instead of the Holy Goodness of Pancakes!" they all stared at her. "Oh, and we'll be without a leader," Jaune almost smiled at that.

' _Thank you, Nora. Glad to know where your loyalties lie?'_ he knew she was joking but it was touching nonetheless. But the woman still shook her head.

"We cannot risk that Mister Arc. As teachers, the health and safety of our students are important to us. What happened to you is something we have never seen before, and we can't risk it happening again." Jaune clenched his fist at this as he realised the situation he was in.

His little merger with himself back at the cafeteria obviously would have had consequences, but he never expected it to be as massive as it was. Now he ran the risk of being unable to participate in the Vytal Tournament, take part in the trials if he was kept under guard and would be unable to help his friends when Cinder would begin to strike. He could not afford to be kept in the hospital. He had to do something, without revealing the truth to his friends.

They would not be ready to handle that kind of truth…not yet anyway.

His eyes then shifted towards Ozpin as he glared into his eyes, hoping that the man would see his resolve. He may not trust the man anymore for getting his partner killed, but he was an ally nonetheless and probably the only one to understand what he was going through.

He was the only one he could turn to.

Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he looked into the dark blue of his. For a moment he saw something, something he had seen too many times in his many lifetimes. The eyes of pain, the eyes of suffering, the eyes of someone who had seen things beyond their understanding…

Eyes like his own.

He instantly knew something was wrong with the boy and he needed to address it soon, but not here, not in front of the students.

"Miss Goodwitch, I think that we may be jumping the gun here," he told her as she looked at him. "and I think right now Mister Arc is in need of more rest. I will talk to him later, however, there are other matters we _need_ to discuss. We'll talk about Mister Arcs enrolment _afterwards_ ," he told her as the message was clear to her.

Something had changed, and he needed to find out. She nodded as she turned back to the students.

"The Headmaster is right. The best move at the moment is to allow Mister Arc to rest. Now, I will ask you all to kindly leave and head off to your next classes. Mister Arc isn't going anywhere at this time." They hesitated before nodding and heading off to class, Pyrrha glancing back one last time as her partner smiled back reassuringly. The door closed behind them as only Ozpin and Jaune remained.

The two men looked at each other as older eyes glanced at each other. "Mister Arc, when you are ready, meet me in my office _tonight_ …it would seem we have much to discuss?" Jaune nodded as the man turned and left, leaving the recent time traveller to himself.

"Well, at least that solves that little issue…now for everything else." He looked back towards the window as he looked out upon the campus. Students walking to their next classes, teachers grading final papers and friends laughing in the sunlight. It had been a long time since he had seen something like this.

Peace. True and tranquil Peace.

He knew that it wasn't going to last, but he couldn't dwell on that now. Now, he had to prepare himself for the conversation that he was going to have with probably the only person on the entire planet that could understand what he was going through.

"Question is…how do I convince him? He would understand, I don't doubt that but what proof do I have about anything I claim? Didn't think about that. This is going to be difficult," he sighed as he rested his hands on the window sill.

" _Not necessarily, Mortal"_

He jumped at this as he heard the voice of Chronos. He looked around expecting to see that giant figure of the God but saw nothing. "What the?!"

"Relax, we are communicating with you telepathically. Since you took on the Trials you will need to know when and where we shall test you. This is the only solution, sorry for the scare," Jaune chuckled as he looked around the room.

"Ah don't worry, after all the crazy shit I've seen this is pretty low on the weirder…okay maybe a bit higher because you're a God." He swore he heard a chuckle from the old God but shook it off as he decided to speak in his mind, lest he looks insane.

' _So, what did you mean it won't be necessary? Despite Ozpin's curse, and his relationship with the Brother Gods I'm still going to need some evidence of what's going to happen.'_ He thought so as not to appear crazy from outside his room.

From the Void, Chronos nodded as he waved his arm and summoned a fraction of his power. While on earth Jaune felt a small stinging pain on the back of his left hand as a strange symbol took shape.

The symbol was that of a circle with a small flame in the centre as it slowly moved and waved like a real flame.

"That is how you will convince him and return his power to full strength. It is the Mark of the Gods. A symbol to let all spirits and Gods know that you are our chosen champion to participate in the Trials. It will also allow you to decide Ozpin's fate as part of our agreement should he attempt anything to your partner."

"It will also allow us to tell you when your Trials will take place," Ignis spoke this time as he looked at the boy from the Void. "Such as my Trial, which will be the first if you want the power to combat that False Maidens Flames…when you are done with Ozpin – in one month's time – head to the Emerald Forest and find the tree that is set ablaze but will not burn…that will be where your Trial shall begin."

Jaune nodded as he looked at the back of his hand before the mark disappeared beneath the surface of his skin. The symbol now burned into his flesh and his mind as he now had what he needed to convince Ozpin. But still, he was hesitant about trusting that face again.

While he learned to tolerate him because of his new incarnation as Oscar, he still didn't like the man that dragged his partner into his war with Salem. There were times he even wanted to punch his teeth out because of what he did but stayed his hand because of Oscar's naivety in his reincarnation.

"I just hope I don't knock his teeth out this time when I tell him about…Pyrrha…"

He looked on as he watched her cross one section of the campus to the other as she walked with all their friends. Her red hair billowing slightly in the breeze as watched the person he lost so many years ago.

The person he failed to protect…

He clenched his fist as he looked at her. "Not this time…" he looked to the sun as he glared out at the direction of Salem's fortress. "This time, I _will_ protect you...no matter what"

* * *

Later that Night – Ozpin's Office

* * *

Ozpin looked out amongst the campus as he gazed upon the Academy that was left to him by his predecessor. A tactical move to ensure that he would be able to guard the Relic of Choice and be able to train the next generation of Huntsman to combat Salem's forces.

Hoping that one team amongst them would be strong enough to final defeat Salem once and for all and end their curse…But also, to find a suitable candidate to inherit the rest of the Fall Maidens Power.

Since Amber had been attacked several months ago he realised that Salem had progressed much in the past thousand years and was now capable of stealing the powers he gifted long ago. He knew that giving those four girls fractions of his power was a risky gamble, but it was the only way he could assure that Salem would not be able to get her hands on the Relics as easily as just acquiring him.

What he had not foreseen was his curse affecting his powers and giving the Maidens powers the ability to reincarnate into other hosts. Granted not similar minded people like his own, but those on their minds before their deaths.

He thought for a while that this would be beneficial and make it harder for Salem to steal the Relics. But clearly, while he had become complacent, Salem had become more cunning and found a way to steal the power and turn a Maiden to her own side.

Since then he and his inner circle had been trying to find a way to transfer the rest of the powers into a suitable host. Seeing as his own magic was dwindling. He knew that it would be risky as he was unsure what would happen if the power was transferred through artificial means.

But if Salem had managed to find a way to do it then they should be able to do it too.

They believed to have found a suitable candidate as well in the Mistral Champion – Pyrrha Nikos. She was strong, gifted and the best out of her entire school year. She was also kind and generous, if by the fact she trained her less experienced partner – Jaune Arc – then she was more than suitable to become the next Fall Maiden.

There were risks to the procedure, there was no doubt about that. But they were running out of time and they needed to even the playing field. If Pyrrha Nikos can fully attain the rest of the Maidens Power, then there would be hope for them…

But the strange incident involving Jaune Arc had caused him some concern.

The large release of aura could be felt all the way up in his tower, and the damage it had caused to the cafeteria was no laughing matter either. But not only that, the young man had eyes similar to his own and that was concerning.

The only reason for that was if something had to have happened to Arc scion. Something similar that happened to him when he was facing-!

The Gods

He looked up in horror at the aspect of the young Arc meeting the Gods that tasked him to stop Salem. What had the young man done to warrant a meeting with them? He had kept an eye on the boy as his parents asked, and aside from the incident with the Winchester heir, the boy should not have done anything to anger the Gods.

What did this mean? What had Mister Arc done to have the same eyes as him…and was it his fault?

The elevator opened up behind as he did not move to face the person. He knew who it was as he felt the familiar presence of the young man he spoke to earlier that day. But now that he actually focused on the boy he instantly realised something was off. His presence felt older – not as old as he was but still old – and his aura felt larger than before.

Seemed that the boy still hadn't learned how to suppress his aura signature.

He turned around to greet the young man as he instantly noticed the difference in demeanour. He wasn't slouched like he used to be, he held himself up more and seemed to be glaring at him with something h could only akin to anger. His body language spoke of experience that was not possible for someone so young…unless?

"I can assume that you are not the same Jaune Arc from yesterday?" he asked as the young man shook his head.

"No…I'm not…"

"I can only assume time travel of some sort?" he nodded "…How much do you know?" his question was simple and straight to the point, something that Jaune nodded at.

" _Everything_ …The Maidens…the Relics…The Gods... Salem… _You_ …I know _Everything_ ," Ozpin sighed.

"I see…what happened?" again with the straightforward question. No beating around the bush, questions needed answers.

"…Six months from now Beacon will Fall during the Vytal Festival. We spend the next Five Years fighting in the _Second Great War_ …We lose, all four of the kingdoms fall to the Grimm, my friends die and Salem gets her hands on the Relics. But we make one last stand and assault her base…that's where I killed her"

The first was not unexpected. For years he had feared the second coming of the Great War, and from the what he guessed it obviously had something to do with his longtime rival Salem. The second, however, brought him both a sense of shock…and relief. For the first time in centuries, the man felt relief at hearing those words.

It meant that Salem was not unbeatable as he had feared for the last thousand years. It meant that one day his curse would finally come to an end. But it also brought a sense of dread. If Salem was dead five years in the future…then…

"Why are you back to this time? If Salem was defeated, then what has been done to anger the Gods of Light and Dark?" he asked hoping that whatever happened in the future was not as terrible as he feared it would be. Hoping that his mistakes hadn't doomed humanity further than it already was.

But Jaune shrugged as he thought about the two Gods.

"Oh, those two are just pissed off because I said fuck you to them when they tried to blame me for humanities destruction."

Ozpin blinked…then again…and one more time as he actually made the effort to turn around and face the boy.

"…I'm sorry, Mister Arc but could you repeat that?" he asked, as the young Arc nodded at him.

"I said _Fuck You_ to them?"

If Qrow were here, he would have laughed his ass off at the bug-eyed and gobsmacked expression that was on Ozpin's face.

"…Y-You said _F-Fuck You_ t-to the _Gods?"_ he asked with a shaky voice as Jaune nodded.

"Yep, said it right to their faces. And then after I chewed them out for their idiocy for cursing Salem and causing this whole mess, I called them hypocrites, demanded that they change the world back to the way it was. And if they didn't I was going to fight them until they do."

Ozpin felt his entire body go numb as he heard the many outrages claims that the young Arc had told him.

Most would have just assumed the boy was lying, boasting to make them seem more impressive then they appeared. But he had been alive long enough that he would instantly read people. There was no hint of lies or deception in his words. He had found a way to defeat Salem, been summoned by the Gods and actually spat in their faces…and he lived to speak about it.

…He needed to sit down

Ozpin shakily walked back to his chair as Jaune followed him with a raised eyebrow. He needed to process this. He needed to drink as much coffee as he could get his hands on – even if he had to raid Glynda's hidden stash – and re-evaluate every decision in his life. He looked at the boy as he stared back at the clearly distraught headmaster. The way he stood reminded him of Qrow whom always found a way to cause him a migraine

"Uh, Oz? Are you okay?"

Oh Gods, now he was sounding like Qrow.

"I'm…I'm fine Mister Arc. I just need to process all of… _this_ …" he gestured to the boy as he placed his hands on his head and sighed deeply.

"So, let me get this straight. You fought in the war, defeated Salem, became the last human on earth that warranted a judgement from the Gods. Where you then cursed their names and tried to pick a fight with them…" Jaune nodded.

"How are you still alive and not a pile of ash right now?"

"That would be thanks to the other Gods," he raised an eyebrow at this.

"Other Gods? I thought there was only two, the ones who created the earth, the relics and humanity?"

"Yeah, well turns out they only created the Grimm and Humanity. The Earth, the sun and the stars…they were created by the other Gods. The Elder Gods. They merely took credit for their creations. When I stood up to them, the Elder Gods appeared and told me I was not at fault. That those two morons shouldn't have left the Relics on Earth in the first place. And they were not impressed,"

Ozpin had to blink again as he remembered meeting the God of Light years ago and being tasked with stopping Salem. He remembered his towering figure as told him that until she was stopped he would be cursed with a never-ending reincarnation cycle. Yet right before him was a boy that claimed that the Gods that cursed him were not even the main Gods and that his own action had a better outcome than his own…

"What did they do?" he asked as Jaune looked at his left hand.

"Well, the Ancient One – the being that presides over all the Gods – felt sympathy for what happened to our world and agreed to undo the damage. However, because I was the last human left they could only undo the damage to my personal timeline. Which means Salem and the others are alive again and will repeat everything that happened in the previous timeline."

Ozpin wanted to question who the Ancient one was but decided against it for later. He had enough to process at the moment.

"But I'm assuming that sending you back in time wasn't the only thing they did?" Jaune nodded.

"To undo the damage and send me back, the Gods told me I have to participate in something called _the Trial of the Gods;_ a set of trials each God will set up that I have to take in order to Change our worlds fate. With each trial I pass, they will give me a gift from one of them and increase my chances of stopping Salem and ending the War before it can begin…" Ozpin narrowed his eyes at this.

"I assume there is a clause in this deal?" Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, if I fail even one Trial, my soul gets sent to hell for all eternity and I'll never get to see my friends again. Also, they took away the knowledge I gained in how to defeat Salem and end her curse, so there's that." Jaune lamented as Ozpin sighed and shook his head.

"That is...unfortunate...And what of the rest of us? Do we return to our destructive state or do we remain with all the changes you'll do?" Jaune shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. But I'm going to assume that's the case and not fail this Trial. On the plus side though, I did get to make some changes to my own personal timeline." Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this.

"Such as?" he asked.

"The Relics…they're gone…"

Ozpin's eyes went wide at this as he stared at the boy. He looked down to the centre of the school as he imaged the Vault that lay underneath. The resting place for one of the Sacred Relics left behind by the Gods of Light and Dark.

"What?! B-But without the Relics, mankind will not have the gifts of-!"

"We don't need them," he stopped the man as Jaune shook his head.

"Our world was an experiment to begin with, a playground for their creations. When you think about it we never need them in the first place. The Brother Gods wanted to see if we were their perfect creation. The Elder Gods told them repeatedly not to curse Salem with immortality, but they never listened and started all of this," he shook his head.

"Thousands of years of bloodshed over a fucking test…that's why I cursed their names…they're nothing but children that can't take responsibility for their own actions."

Ozpin felt like his entire world came crashing down. Thousands of years protecting the Relics, keeping them out of the hands of Salem and turns out they should never have been given to them in the first place.

"B-But I still feel them, the Relic of Choice is still hidden in the-"

"It's just the shell you're sensing. If it turns out that I fail, and the world remains as it currently is, then this way Salem can't get her hands on the Relics. Plus, it acts as bait for her, makes her think they're still here when the truth is they are gone…" he smirked at this.

"I figured she deserved to get tricked for once in her wretched life, don't you agree?" Ozpin stared for a moment before he sighed and rested in his chair.

"What else? What other changes have you made to the timeline?"

"Well, I asked them to fuse my older aura signature to my younger one. That way it increases my aura reserves to a higher level. They were large before, but now they feel…massive," he felt the aura inside him as a white glow surrounded his arm.

"But I still need to restrain my body to a suitable state. I have the knowledge and I know how to control my semblance. So, I asked them to send me back six months before the Vytal Festival. That will give me time to get my body up to speed to compete in the Trial…"

"What about Salem, could you not do something about her with your changes?" he questioned.

"Can't, she's the main reason for the Trial. I can't wish her away or do anything to her past because I never met her until five years from now. But one way or another, I will face her. And I will kill her. You have my word," Ozpin nodded as he laced his fingers together.

"I see, well then. This is…a lot to take in. But with you here and coming to me we may have a chance at defeating her with minimal damage. Your knowledge of the future is invaluable, Mister Arc. We can prevent certain events and hopefully produce a better outcome then what you experienced. Maybe we can even-"

"There's one other thing I asked them to change," he stopped as he looked back to the young man.

"I also asked them to allow me to restore your powers back to their original state. Before you gave them out to the Maidens…"

Everything stopped as the old man looked at the boy. A serious look on his face as he repeated the words back in his head. His power, his original power from long ago that he gave away to the Maidens. He had the power to return what he had given centuries ago. It sounded almost too good to be true.

"H-How?" He raised his left hand as the symbol of the Gods appeared on his skin.

"This, it's the contract of my deal with the Gods. It also will allow me to return your power back to its original level. You died and reincarnated in the previous timeline against the person who stole the Fall Maidens Powers. I want to change that outcome and catch both Salem and her allies off guard. Plus I figure having a full-powered Ozpin is better than having de-powered one, right?"

Ozpin looked at the symbol as he could literally feel that power radiating from behind it. The power he gave up long ago because he believed that the Maidens might have accomplished what he could not. For years he regretted giving away years ago. But now, because of a strange chance of luck, he was going to receive his full powers again.

He could face Salem and not be weak. He could undo the damage he caused centuries ago.

He slowly stood up as he gingerly walked towards the boy who somehow managed to accomplish more in a matter of hours, then what he had down in lifetimes. The boy had out his hand to the man as he slowly walked towards him, his hand outstretched as he was ready to receive what he lost.

But before he could grab his hand, Jaune pulled back his hand. "Wait, there's one last thing I have to do before I do this…" he raised an eyebrow at this.

"What?" Jaune looked up as a glare appeared in his eyes.

"This!"

Before the man could even register what happened a fist impacted the side of his face, unable to bring up his aura in time to block the punch, he was flung back across the room and slammed into his desk. A small dabble of blood leaving his lip as he looked up confusion at the boy. Jaune himself was shaking as he held his fist. His hand red as he shook it from punching the man in the face.

"Mister Arc, what was-!"

"That was for what you're planning to do to my partner, you jackass!" Jaune yelled as the man flinched at this.

"I know _everything_ , remember?! That means I know exactly what you're planning to do with her and the Maiden you have hidden in the basement!" he yelled as he shook with pent-up rage.

"Six months from now you bring Pyrrha into all of this to inherit the rest of the Fall Maidens power. Thinking that by doing it you'll even the playing field. But do you have any idea what you actually do to her?! Showing her t-that thing?! You make her uncertain, unfocused, doubting! She starts to question everything she ever believed in. Her destiny, her place in this world, she even doubts her own strength and because of that, she dies against t-that bitch!" a single tear formed in his eye as he looked at his hands.

"She died expressing her feelings for me before I could tell her mine!" His hands shake with the past five years of anger and rage.

"…And then I'm left with this... _anger_ inside of me for years, resentment and hatred for what you did. Like Hazel and his sister's death. But unlike him, I remained focus to know that my enemy was Salem, not you. But that didn't change the way I felt about you. Oscar was a good kid, but just knowing you were a part of him made me want to just knock your fucking lights out…but I held back, and even helped him catch up to speed." He shook his head.

"But I will _never forget_ what you did to her. What you plan to do to her…that is a promise." Ozpin looked down as the boy seethed in anger.

"Mister Arc…I'm sorry for what I did to you. But whatever I did, I can assure it was for the best reasons." Jaune shook his head as he glared at the man.

"No…no it wasn't…you just wanted to end your curse and ended up dragging her into it. She never deserved that fate…and I'll be demanded if I let it happen to her again. And while I can't trust you anymore, I know I can't do this without you. So, I will put aside my anger to work with you…" he walked over as he kneeled down and grabbed the man by the front of his vest.

"But let make one thing absolutely clear. When I give you back your powers, I get to decide your fate and I'm warning you to stay the hell away from her. You even _mention_ the word Maiden around her and I will make sure your curse will last even _after_ Salem's death. Do you understand?" his voice was cold and angry as Ozpin could literally feel the rage that was bottled up inside him.

While this version of Jaune did frighten him, he could understand his anger. He should have known what choosing Miss Nikos would have done to her partner. It was almost the same thing that had happened to Hazel, who swore a bloody vengeance on him because of the death of his sister.

He should have realised that doing the exact same thing could have potentially turned the young Arc into another potential enemy.

Another person out for his mistakes.

But where Hazel had been blinded by the death of his sister. Jaune saw the larger scale in the war that was to come and knew to put his feelings aside for the greater good…but he had still suffered because of him. And he was not going to make the same mistake again.

The headmaster sighed as he nodded. "I…I understand Mister Arc. I promise I will not bring her into this...and for what it's worth…I truly am sorry for what I had done or will do to you," Jaune nodded as he let go of the man.

"It's alright, and I'm sorry for punching you I…I just needed to get that out of my system. Better I do it now than risk losing control somewhere down the line that screws everything up." He sighed as he then helped the man up. "Pyrrha is important to me, too important to let her die the same way. She didn't deserve that fate…she didn't deserve what happened to her…" he held out his hand as the symbol of the Gods shimmered.

"So, help me fix it…or get out of my way…"

Ozpin looked at the hand and the young man that had been tempered by war and pain. So different from the young man that he had seen earlier that day and at the initiation. What stood before him was not a student under his care, nor was it a soldier waiting to fight in some battle far away. What stood before him was a man, willing to do what needed to be done to protect his loved ones with a drive that rivalled the Gods themselves...

…When did he lose his?

The man nodded as he grasped the hand of the young man. Instantly he felt a swell of power rush through him as the piece that he had been missing came rushing back.

It was like a piece of himself had returned and he was whole again.

He let go of the hand as he felt his entire being tremble with power. This was what he needed to change the tides of war, and this was what Jaune needed to save the lives of his friends. The lives of all those on the planet and those who would not be born yet.

It was a start.

Ozpin looked at the boy as a look of sincere gratitude was on his face. "Thank you," Jaune nodded before he looked down at his hands, a sudden thought coming to his mind as he turned around.

"Come on, let's go…" he said as he began to walk to the elevators as Ozpin looked confused.

"Where?"

"The basement, there's something I want to try." He pressed the call button on the elevator as the doors opened up.

"And what would that be?" Jaune turned as he had a determined look appeared in his eyes.

"Reviving Autumn"

* * *

 **And Scene. So, I'm going to cut it off here and say here is Chapter II of Trial of the Gods. Now for the next two chapters I want to set up Jaune's plan, tell Ozpin more about the future and set up the eventual training to prepare himself for the Trials.**

 **Plus, to also work on what each trial should be and which God he will interact with. As well as adding something about Jaune himself involving one of his parents inspired from God of War.**

 **Also, I plan to alter Jaune's weapons with some inspirations from God of War. But yeah, Jaune has returned to the past and now set his plan in motion to save the future of the human race. Now he plans on reviving the Fallen Maiden – Amber – but for what reason will be discovered in the next Chapter.**

 **Chapter III – Reviving Autumn & Shocking Announcements**


	3. Chapter III: Reviving Autumn

RWBY: Trial of the Gods

"So, you wish to change the fate of the World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"

* * *

Chapter III: Reviving Autumn

* * *

The ride down the elevator was long and silent as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy – Ozpin – and the recent time traveller – Jaune Arc – made their way down to the secret vault hidden under the academy. Both men standing a good equal distance from each other as Jaune leaned his back against the wall, while Ozpin stood off to the side.

Ozpin seemed calm and collected, while Jaune was scowling and fidgeting slightly as he stared at the elevator floor almost glaring at it. And for good reason, the last time Jaune had been in this elevator was almost five years ago, the day his partner died. The man beside in his current incarnation as well, only this time he wasn't on his way to pass on the powers he had given away centuries ago…

This time they were going to revive that who lost against Salem's pawn. How this would be accomplished and whether it would work was the main question. Which reminded Ozpin.

"How do you intend to do this?" He finally asked, breaking the awkward silence between them. "We have tried many methods to revive Amber in the past, but none of them worked. What is afflicting her is not natural."

"I know. But in the future, I got curious about what happened to Amber; the woman who you tried to get Pyrrha to replace. From what I gathered she had the powers stolen from her by force. Salem had used some method to drain or rip the power from her soul. Her Aura." He looked down at his hand.

"From what I'm guessing once a Maiden's power is fused to a host, it's there until the user dies, because it's tied to their aura. To forcibly remove it…is like killing a part of yourself," the elevator hummed as they went further into the vault.

"That's correct," Ozpin said as Jaune leaned against the walls of the elevator. "But I assume you have something that can repair that?" Jaune shook his head.

"Not exactly. In the future, I discovered that my semblance was Aura Amplification. It's an ability that allows me to use my raw aura to amplify my own aura shielding and enhance my fighting abilities. But when I use it on others I can amplify their own aura. I can heal wounds and replenish entire aura reserves while still having plenty to spare due to my large reserves. Not only that, when I add my aura to them I enhance their own abilities even further." Ozpin marvelled at the power.

"That is an amazing ability, Mister Arc, though how did you know it could heal others?" he asked as Jaune looked away grimly as he gripped his fist.

"It was a year from now, in Mistral at Haven Academy. Weiss was impaled by the person who attacked the Fall Maiden. She stabbed her in the gut and left her for dead. My semblance activated and healed the damage…by all accounts she should have died that day. But I stopped it, I healed her wound and replenished her aura…I saved her," Ozpin narrowed his eyes at this.

"Yet you don't sound happy about it?"

"No, I was happy I saved Weiss. I never doubted that…" he looked at his hand as he summoned a fraction of his aura. "But after I discovered my semblance, I started hating myself because…" he stopped as he found himself unable to speak the words.

"Because of what happened to Miss Nikos?"

Silence took the elevator as the gentle hum of the machines was all that could be heard. He nodded solemnly as he looked at the white glow surrounding his hand.

"Yeah...I started hating myself because I kept thinking…If I had discovered my semblance earlier, Pyrrha wouldn't have died. I could have saved her. I could have amplified her strength and she _might_ have beaten her, she could have been alive for all that time...But I didn't...and it's haunted me ever since…" The man walked over as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Mister Arc…Jaune. Whatever happened was not your fault. There was no way you could have known what your semblance could do. If anyone is to blame it's me…from what I understand I put her in that position in the first place, something I should have never done and which I apologise for. But take it from a man who has lived for far too long and stop blaming yourself for what you couldn't do and realise that you have something I wished I had ages ago. A second chance. A real second chance to change things for the best and not for what can be salvaged."

Jaune looked away slightly as he absorbed the man's words. While he didn't trust Ozpin anymore, he always did value the advice he gave to him.

"Thanks…that helps a little," Ozpin nodded.

"Not to doubt your abilities Mister Arc, but Amber was severely injured in her fight with the False Maiden. Qrow was lucky to get her back to us alive. Are you sure your semblance can restore her?" Jaune shrugged his shoulders at this.

"I'm not sure myself. It all really depends on the type of injury she sustained and how fresh the wounds might be. I've never even attempted it on a comatose person before. The best I can hope for is waking her up at least. If she's awake she can be of use, otherwise, she's just a corpse waiting to die in a glass jar." Ozpin narrowed his eyes at this.

"That's a very harsh view of her condition, Mister Arc."

"I know but seeing as her carelessness was the reason you needed to use _my partner_ as a _substitute_. I don't think very highly of her." He told him as the man saw the type of person Jaune had become in the future. Jaded and pessimistic from his experience of facing the harsh reality of the world.

Another mistake he had created.

The elevator finally pinged as they walked out into the large hall of the Vault. The eerie green lanterns casting an eerie glow as flashes from five years ago played out in his head, as Jaune remembered the last moments he had with his partner before everything went to hell.

"Mister Arc, Mister arc…Jaune?"

He blinked as he turned to see the concerned look of Ozpin as he had a hand on his shoulder. "Are you, all right? You blanked out for five minutes, is something wrong?" he asked as shook off the hand and rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah, sorry it's just…this was the last place I saw either of you alive. Pyrrha came down here to take the power, but that woman followed us down here and stole it. You sacrificed yourself to let us escape and from what I can guess this was where she killed you." Ozpin recoiled slightly at this as he looked around the vast empty hall knowing that this was the predetermined place of his death...one of them at least.

"That is …unnerving,"

"Tell me about. But from what I've learned you don't let that kind of stuff bother you. So, let's get this over with." He said as he and Ozpin moved to the far end of the vault. The light from the lanterns flickering in the vault as they walked in silence with only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the hall.

"Mister Arc?" he turned back to the man slightly

"Yeah?"

"Are there more things I should know about the future? I assume what you told me earlier was only a brief summary of what you've truly experienced. Is there more I should know about?" he asked as Jaune thought for a moment.

"Yeah, there is. But I'll explain later after we deal with the Amber situation. All I can tell you right now…is that you have a traitor in your circle," his eyes widened at this.

"What? What do you mean there's-!"

"We're here" Jaune cut him off as they stood before a large machine at the far end of the Vault.

Two caskets and many cables streamed out and plugging into the caskets. To the left was Amber as she rested in the casket. Her face scarred from the damage that Cinder had done to her, and her clothes stripped off and replaced with a white medical gown. Jaune walked over as he placed a hand on the glass, his reflection staring back at him as for a moment Ambers' face was replaced with Pyrrha's.

"How long has she been like this?" he asked as Ozpin walked over.

"A few months now. Whoever attacked her knew where she would be and how to fight her. Qrow was returning home from a mission when he managed to intervene. If he hadn't I fear the damage may have been greater." Jaune nodded as he walked over to the medical read out.

"Fractured spinal column in the Th10 thoracic vertebrae, possible kidney failure, ischemic damage to her other organs. Gods, if it wasn't for this machine she'd be a corpse by now."

"You seem to be quite knowledgeable in the medical arts, no doubt a skill you picked up in the future?" Jaune nodded as he remembered practising months after Pyrrha's death and the discovery of his own Semblance in the medical arts. Sort of as a penance for himself and a vow to never allow any more of his friends to die. Sadly, he failed that vow.

But he would not fail it again.

"Can you heal her?" he asked as Jaune looked at her.

"I'm not sure. Like I said it all depends on the type of wound I have to work with. From the looks of it, I may be able to repair her organs and force her to wake up. But her spine has already healed over. If she wakes up she's going to need an exoskeleton or prosthetics if she ever wants to walk again…that's if she wants to wake up?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean?" he asked as Jaune looked at her.

"…I never knew Amber, I'm not really sure what kind of person she was. The kind of attack she suffered may have done something to her mental state. For all I know if she wakes up she'll be traumatised, maybe even unstable, after what she experienced. Waking her up could also kill her. But right now we need to wake her up, because otherwise when the invasion happens she'll be a sitting duck." He said as he looked at the man.

"And there is no way in hell, I'm allowing her to get the rest of the Fall Maiden's power" Ozpin nodded at this as Jaune moved over to the edge of the casket. "Open it," he asked as the man nodded and opened the casket.

A hiss of mist broke through the seal of the glass as the casket slowly opened. The light breathing of Amber resonated in the hall as she lay comatose to the world. Jaune stood next to her as Ozpin readjusted the casket and lowered it to a more horizontal position. Jaune stood over her as he raised his hands and focused on his semblance.

His hands glowed white as the light stretched from his palms to his elbows.

Luckily it seemed that using one's semblance was more of a mental state then it was a physical one – to him at least – as he could still feel complete control over his power. However, he did notice that his reserves were far larger than before. Maybe the added boost might be able to heal her spine, but he was doubtful of that. He had seen what happens if he pushed too much of his aura into someone else.

It was not pretty.

He breathed out a calming breath as he placed both hands on the side of her face. The white energy pouring into her as the light slowly travelled from his hands to all around her body. Shortly the aura changed into an orange colour as his amplification ability kicked in and started boosting her healing abilities.

For a while, nothing happened as the energy continued to circulate and travel around her body. Until suddenly the monitors began to resonate as Ozpin looked over to the machines that maintained her vitals. His eyes widened as he saw them steadily rising. Much more than anything they could have achieved in the months they had her.

"By the Gods…It's working!" his surprise evident in his voice as he watched the vitals steadily rose. "Her vitals are returning to optimal levels!" he felt hope rising within him as he watched the subtle twitches from Ambers comatose form.

"This could work," Jaune focused as he poured his aura into her.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she screamed in pain.

This caught them by surprise as the sudden cry nearly cause Jaune to cut off his semblance. But he remained focused as he grabbed her head again and continued to pour his aura into her while ignoring her screams. He had to do it multiple times in his timeline to soldiers and friends that were critically wounded in battle.

The many times he heard the screams made him want to end their pain quickly. But he knew that if he pushed too much into her he could kill her, and if he did that then the power would go straight to Cinder. He could not afford that.

She screamed thrashed in pain as his aura boosted her healing abilities and repaired the damage. Suddenly something began to crawl up her throat as a black insect-like Grimm squirmed and screamed inside her mouth.

"Shit! What the hell is that?!" Jaune yelled as the Grimm continued to claw its way out of her aura filled body. Ozpin, however, recognised the creature.

"That's a parasite Grimm! It infects a host body and weakens their aura! Don't let it touch it!" The insect screamed as it lunged itself at Jaune, who just managed to grab it before it could attach itself to his face.

The Grimm screamed and squirmed as it tried to infect Jaune. But Jaune's semblance amplified his own defences as the light of his aura began to burn at the Grimm. He looked over as he signalled to Ozpin.

"Kill it!" he yelled as he threw the Grimm away as it splattered on the wall.

The Insect screeched as it scurried away from the pair only to be blasted by an insanely large fireball, instantly disintegrating it into dust and shattering a good chunk of the marble floor. Jaune blinked as he looked back to Ozpin as his hand glowed slightly with his newly regained powers.

But from the look of it, his power had been almost too much for him. He looked at his own palm and then back to the boy.

"It's…it's been a while since I've done that. I'm not used to having that kind of power again, I forgot how powerful it was," he said as Jaune nodded and walked back to Amber as he looked her over.

"What the hell was that thing anyway? I never saw Grimm like that in the future," Ozpin nodded as he stood next to Amber.

"That must have been how Salem managed to steal Ambers power in the first place. She must have fashioned a parasitic Grimm into some kind of syphon to steal her powers. Qrow must have interrupted the process when he saved her and left a part of it inside her, allowing it to feast off Ambers life force." he glared as he looked at the comatose woman.

"No wonder nothing we tried worked. That thing was keeping her in a catatonic state, subtly feeding off her aura and making her weaker…I should have known" Jaune shook his head as looked back to Amber.

"It's not your fault. Salem is a crafty person, I'll give her that. There was no way you could have known what she had done." He flexed his hands as they glowed with his aura. "Hopefully now that, that thing is out of her, the healing process will go a lot smoother." He placed his hands back as he continued to feed her his own aura.

Slowly brown coloured eyes began to open as Amber slowly awoke to a strange ceiling and a rather pleasant feeling on the side of her head. She turned her head to see a strange blond haired looking boy as his arms were glowing white.

"Hey, she's waking up!"

She turned her eyes to his voice, but due to the fogginess of her mind, she didn't move her head to see who he was speaking to. Her mind in a state of confusion as she tried to piece together what happened to her. She was on her way home after a mission in Anima to help a small village when she stopped to help a small girl on the side of the road. Then-!

Her memories came flooding back to her as she remembered the Emerald shaded girl, the boy with the metallic legs and the black-haired woman with bow and arrow attacked her. She remembered fighting, she remembered almost beating them when a sharp pain hit her back followed by the woman holding out some sort of gloved hand out to her. Then darkness and pain as she felt a part of herself being ripped from her.

Then nothing, as all she could remember was darkness for so long. The only logical conclusion she could come to was that she was captured, and she was being held by those who attacked her.

She instantly reacted as she made to lunge at the boy, thinking that he was working with them as her hands went for his throat. But the boy managed to grab them as he held them to the table she was on.

"Hey! Calm down! It's not what you think!" he tried to tell her as she still struggled against his grip.

"Hey, calm down lady! I'm on your side!" he tried to reason with her as she ignored him and tried to escape. But she found herself unable to move her legs as she feared they had done something to her legs to make her unable to escape. She managed to knock him in the face as she prepared to strike him with a lightning bolt.

But before she could summon her powers, a hand grabbed her shoulder as she turned to see the face of Ozpin as he stared into her frightened eyes.

"Amber! It's all right! You're safe! You're among friends!" he told her as she finally managed to register what he was saying and slowly stopped her thrashing.

"...O-Ozpin? Is that really you?" she asked as the man nodded.

"Yes, it's me. It's all right, you're at Beacon Academy in the Vault. You're safe." He reassured her as she slowly managed to calm down. She then looked over at the strange boy who slowly stood up. "This Jaune, he's the one who healed you." He rubbed his face as a small bruise formed on his cheek.

"Oh, oh my goodness I'm so sorry!" she said as he shook his head, a soft light glowing on his cheek before the bruise faded away.

"It's alright, you've been out for a while and you don't know where you are. I don't blame you for hitting me like that. Nice swing though," he commented as he rubbed his jaw. She sighed in relief as she was glad she had not hurt him badly. But then blinked when she processed his words.

"Wait, what do you mean I've been out for a while? How long have I been here?" she asked as she looked around the vault and tried to stand up only for her legs to not respond. She looked down as she felt nothing within her limbs.

"…W-Why can't I feel my legs? Ozpin?" she asked with a shaking voice as she looked to Ozpin as he sighed.

"You…You were attacked. Your assailants managed to damage your spinal column and rendered you paralysed. They did something to your aura and stripped away half of your maiden powers. But whatever it was they did to you, left you…" he sighed as he tried to find the right thing to say without scaring the girl. He'd rather not mention the parasite the lived inside her for that time.

"Left you paralysed and comatose for six months."

Her eyes widened as she stared numbingly at the man and then down to her own legs as she still felt no connection to them. Her heart hammering in her chest as she slowly reached down and gripped her thighs. Her breathing coming out in shaky breaths as small tears began to form in her eyes. Coupled with this hollowing feeling inside of her chest, it was almost too much for the girl as she softly cried in the vault. Her sobs echoing within the vault as the weight of her injuries came crashing down on her.

She was broken. Weak. Afraid and scared as she slowly curled into herself and cried at her harsh treatment from the world.

Jaune looked at the girl as many conflicting feelings came to him. On the one hand, he should be feeling empathetic towards her. She just lost half her powers, her leg and six months off her life. He should feel sorry for her and try something to comfort her. But on the other hand, she was the reason they had to find a new Fall Maiden in the first place. Because she had failed to defend herself from Cinder and her allies.

He knew it wasn't her fault and that she was just a victim in the war against Salem and Ozpin. But the emotional side of his mind still blamed Ozpin and Amber for getting his partner killed. For dragging her into the depths of this war because she was the strongest and most selfless person he had ever known. He still blamed them and felt that she should receive no sympathy…

But that just wasn't who Jaune was.

Despite everything he had been through, despite all the losses he had suffered he was still a good person at heart. And even he could not help but feel sorry for her.

He slowly raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder. A small gesture but hopefully enough to help her through this trying time. She looked up with tear stained eyes as he looked at her sympathetically as he nodded at her.

She cried even more as she latched herself around his waist. He was taken back by this and was almost tempted to pry her off. But the sound of her crying caused him to halt as he let her cry into his chest. But he dared not hug her back, as he still felt conflicted about her. This, however, was all he could do.

Ozpin watched sadly as the young maiden cried on the Arc Scion.

He had known for a while that Amber was still young and new to her powers, but he always had faith that she could become a great Maiden like her predecessor. Like the first Maidens, he gifted centuries ago, who gave him hope again to fight Salem.

But now he was seeing the true effects of how much his mistake had affected those burdened by this power.

How many lives had he ruined with these powers? How many had suffered watching their loved ones be crippled, mutilated or killed just get their hands on their power? How many lives had suffered because of his cowardice and how many more would suffer for it?

Amber finally managed to collect herself as she let go of the Arc and nodded in thanks for his kindness.

But all Jaune did was nod as he moved to a pillar and leaned against it as he watched Ozpin and Amber talk. No doubt taking about what alternatives they could do to allow her to walk again. He wondered if Ozpin could use his magic to repair the damage she suffered, but from what he had seen his powers only seemed to revolve around gifting people with abilities and summoning powerful attacks.

Plus, it seemed the man was not used to having his full strength again. For all he knew, he could accidentally kill her or worse with his powers. So, for now, it seemed, she would be needing alternative means to walk until Ozpin was ready. Besides, it looked like she needed time to process everything that happened to her and get her up to speed with what happened.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as the Fall Maiden nodded weakly.

'Well, I'm not in a coma anymore, so there's that I guess. To be honest I thought I was never going to wake up. How did you wake me?" Ozpin gestured to Jaune.

"You can thank the young man over there." She looked over at the boy she had hit when she woke up.

"His name is Jaune Arc, he used his semblance to amplify your aura and heal your injuries; which is how he brought you out of the coma. Unfortunately, we weren't able to heal your legs. If we had known of Mister Arc's semblance sooner, we might have had a chance. I'm sorry" he spoke as she nodded and turned to Jaune.

"Thank you, Jaune. Are you part of Ozpin's inner circle?" she asked as Jaune scoffed at the notion.

"No, I am anything but part of his inner circle. I consider myself more of a freelance kind of person. I'm just here to make sure my friends don't die. Sorry I couldn't heal your legs though."

"It's alright, I understand. But honestly, I'm not feeling okay." She placed a hand on her chest as she felt inside of her. "I feel like part of me is missing. A hollow feeling inside of me that's craving what's missing."

"That would be because of the missing half of your soul," Jaune spoke as she turned to him.

"I used my semblance to amplify your aura, temporarily filling up the remaining half of your missing aura. Unfortunately, it might not stay that way forever. My semblance usually replenishes people's aura back to their original strength, maybe even larger if I add a bit more. But since you're missing half of your own aura the effects might not last as long as usual. For all, I know you could fall back into a coma when the extra aura dies down." Her eyes widened in fear of that as she was felt afraid of falling back into the darkness.

"But then again I've never done this on a person missing half their soul. You might be able to prolong the effect if you don't over exhort yourself or use your powers. It may last a few days, maybe a week if you're lucky. But until we get the missing half of your soul back I'm going to need to keep feeding you my aura until then." He informed her she felt some comfort in that.

"You seem to have become quite adept during your time, Mister Arc," Ozpin commented seeing how he took a hold of the situation.

"Yeah well…I had to clean up a lot of your messes," Ozpin hung his head at that jab, knowing full well how true it was. "One of which I'm about to tell you to know." he looked back up as he was curious about what he meant.

"Remember when I told you that you have a traitor in your inner circle?" Ozpin recoiled slightly but nodded as Jaune then turned to the Fall Maiden. "Amber, can you remember anything about your attackers, anything at all?" he asked as Amber looked down as she tried to remember.

"I remember a green-haired girl with red eyes, a silver-haired boy with prosthetic legs and…" she began to shake a little as she remembered the woman that attacked her. "A-And a woman wearing a red dress with black hair and amber coloured eyes."

"Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black and Cinder Fall." She looked up as he nodded.

"Those are the names of the people who attacked you. They attacked you on your way home after a mission in Anima, correct?" he asked as he remembered going through all the record back in Mistral after the second invasion. She nodded as she remembered back to almost half a year ago.

"Yes, I was sent on a mission to help clear out a small area populated by Grimm. I was on my way back to report my success when they attacked me on the side of the road and h-hurt me." He nodded as he looked at her with a dead serious face.

"And who knew of your mission?" he asked as she was confused.

"Other then Ozpin, there was Qrow and Leonardo Lionheart, the Headmaster at Haven Academy. But what does that have to do with-"

"And who was the only one who knew of your _exact location?_ Who knew exactly _where_ you would be and _what road_ you would be taking and who knew you were going to be _alone_?" Ozpin and Amber's eyes widened as only one answer came to them.

"L-Lionheart…Lionheart knew my exact location. H-he even asked me to update him when I got closer to Mistral…B-But that would mean?" Jaune nodded as he folded his arms and glared.

"Yeah…Lionheart _betrayed_ you. He's been working for Salem and feeding her intel for months. How else do you think she's managed to outplay you recently? Did you think it was a coincidence that they just happened to bump into Amber across the entire continent of Anima? He gave her location to Salem's agents and sent them on her like a pack of dogs. He was only one who knew where she was going to be."

Ozpin felt a great sense of shock running through his core. Lionheart, his oldest and most trusted friend…had betrayed him?

"But that's impossible. I've known Lionheart for years. He would never betray us, why would he betray us now?"

"He became scared." His answer was simple as he looked at the man.

"Over the years he started buckling under the weight of everything; the pressure of his position, knowing the truth about the Relics and the Maidens, Salem's existence and the Grimm. It all became too much for him. He feared that eventually he would die as a causality in the war and sought to save his own skin. To him, the only way out was by joining forces with her." He sighed as he remembered searching through all of his documents and journals.

"Under her orders, he weakened Mistral substantially over the next few months after Beacon: he sent the teachers and huntsman on dangerous assignments where they were either killed by the Grimm or ambushed by bandits. He gave away the location on the Spring Maiden and helped them gain access to the CCT with the help of one of her Agents: Arthur Watts." Ozpin's eyes widened at the name.

"I know that name. According to Ironwood, he was a brilliant scientist who illegally sold tech and secrets under the radar. The science committee stripped him of all his research and exiled him from Atlas in disgrace. But to think he would join forces with Salem? This is very troubling indeed." Jaune scoffed at this.

"You don't know the half of it. With Access to the CCT, he and Watts created a virus that infiltrates systems undetected when synced with the Network. It then infects and allowed Cinder to access other systems. Like the Atlesian Droids, Ironwood will be bringing in a month." Ozpin's eyes widened at that but then narrowed.

"Normally I would ask how you knew Ironwood would be coming. But since you're from the future…" Amber snapped her head in confusion at him as he waved his hand at her. "Long story, will explain later. I can assume you know when he would arrive and how she manages to take over his Atlesian Machines." He nodded.

"Yeah, but I highly doubt that my word will be enough to convince him to send his machines home. So, I need to prove it to him in person, but we'll cross that bridge later. Point is so long as Lionheart is alive Salem will know your every move. No doubt he's already informed her about the current security measures you have in place for the upcoming events?" he nodded.

"Keep them as they are," he raised an eyebrow at this.

"If you try and change your plans out of nowhere Leo will grow suspicious and will force Salem to alter her plans. We can't let that happen. We need to draw them in and make them think they are in control. While subtly preparing in secret. It's our only hope of preventing the invasion." Ozpin looked conflicted but nodded.

"Agreed. It's too late to make any drastic changes and your knowledge of the future is vital – so long as events play out as they did before. But I fear that as time goes on changes will happen and we will have to improvise as best we can." Jaune nodded.

"Agreed. But for now, we need to inform the rest of your inner circle – aside from Lionheart – that Amber is awake. You also need to contact Qrow and tell him to come back as soon as he can. And for the love of the Gods tell him to be _subtle_. Because the last time he came back he exposed himself to Cinder's allies and ruined any chance of surprise against her. Tell him if he doesn't Ruby's _lineage_ will be exposed. That should grab his attention." He warned as Ozpin nodded.

"Very well, Amber unfortunately for the time being you need to remain here in the vault. I will have Glynda bring down some essentials to make your stay more comfortable. But for your safety, its best you stay down here until its time." He informed the woman as she nodded.

"Okay, I don't know exactly what's going on here, but I'll trust you two. You both did save me after all, the least I can do is head your advice." She said as Ozpin nodded and gestured to the young Arc as they walked out of earshot.

"What are you planning to do with Amber now, Mister Arc? Her being awake could tip the balance, but in her current state she is not fit for combat." Jaune nodded.

"We'll need to get Ironwood to bring some sort of mechanical aid for her to walk, and maybe fully heal her once you get better control over your powers. But until we get the rest of her soul back she'll be more of a liability until then. But at least now she can run if we need her to and her conscious state might throw Cinder off her game. She always acted calm and collected when the battle was in her favour, but the minute something unforeseen happens she loses focus." He advised as the man nodded.

"We still have one more problem…" Jaune looked confused as Ozpin gestured to the ceiling. "Your little incident in the cafeteria." Jaune cursed at that.

"Ah shit, you're right. There's no way I can avoid that, especially Pyrrha. She's always fretted about my safety, it's part of why she sent me away years ago. I guess I should have seen that as a sign that she had feelings." Ozpin nodded

"It was painfully obvious,"

"Not helping!" he hissed.

"Point is there is no way she's just going to let the whole _Aura Explosion Incident_ go with an _I'm Okay._ Not mention now she'll probably watch me like a Nevermore and I need to increase my training and be ready for the trials when I'm summoned. Btu I can't just disappear without a valid reason, I got to think of something." He pondered as Ozpin looked away for a second and then sparked up.

"I think I may have an idea Mister Arc."

"Really, what is it?" he asked as the man only shook his head.

"I'll tell you in the morning. For now, I think it's time to return to your room. We've been away too long, and I need to bring Glynda up to speed as soon as possible." He patted his hand on the boys' shoulder. "Trust me, it will all make sense in the morning."

Jaune looked scrupulously at the man before shrugging his shoulders and left for the elevator. A strange feeling resonating in his gut as he had a particularly odd feeling that tomorrow was going to be…interesting.

* * *

Next Morning – Beacon Auditorium

* * *

The Following morning the students of Beacon Academy were gathered in the auditorium as many were puzzled by the sudden request by the Headmaster. Many of them were wondering what his announcement would be, while some wondered if it had anything to do with the incident in the cafeteria. Which was currently being rebuilt. Teams RWBY and JNPR – Minus Jaune – were gathered as well as they both wondered what it was about and where was Jaune.

"Does anyone know why Ozpin decided to call us into the Auditorium this morning?" Yang asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was not a morning person and she only just managed to get her hair in order. She had to fight the rest of her team to get into the shower first, despite having the chart set up.

Her hair was number one priority after all.

"No clue, but whatever it is I'm sure it's important," Weiss said as she dusted off her uniform.

"Or it could have something to do with what happened yesterday?" Blake suggested as the Faunus in hiding adjusted the bow on her head.

"Speaking of which, have any of you guys been to see Jaune yet?" Ruby asked as she turned to their sister team. The members of JNPR shook their head.

"No, I went to check on him this morning, but the nurse told me he signed out this morning. But he didn't come back to the room. I hope he's okay." Pyrrha said as she worried about her partner/crush. The incident yesterday was a big scare for her as she feared something terrible had happened to him that would no longer allow him to become a Huntsman.

"You sure it's not because you wanted another hug from him?" Nora asked with a huge grin as the others looked at her with a knowing look while she blushed rapidly.

"I-It's not like that! I-I really just went to check on him!" she stammered out as Nora continued to grin while Ren just shook his head.

"Nora, stop teasing her," he groaned as she giggled and stopped teasing the champion.

Ren like everyone else was wondering what the sudden announcement Ozpin was going to make. He assumed it more than likely had something to do with his team leader that literally exploded the other day. It was a huge incident that nearly destroyed the entire cafeteria and almost injured a few students with broken glass. Luckily no one was injured – aside from Jaune who collapsed afterwards.

His mind replaying the scene over and over in his head as he remembered the sudden headaches that his friend was complaining about before he unleashed a massive amount of aura. Which was another thing? The amount of aura he released was massive, far larger than anything he had ever seen. Not even when Nora discovered her semblance after a bolt of lightning struck her. A bizarre event that was completely impossible.

Yesterday was just another reminder of the strange occurrences that happened years ago. Was it a coincidence? Not likely.

He was interrupted as Ozpin walked onto the stage, Glynda Goodwitch and Jaune Arc behind him as they stood on the stage. His friends instantly worried as they saw the young Arc standing on the stage. His demeanour uncertain as even he seemed confused about why he was up there.

"Students, it has come to my attention that a lot of you have been discussing why I called this meeting, some of you are even affiliating it with the incident that occurred in the cafeteria yesterday. Well, I would like to address that today. Yes, this assembly is both to address that and to make an announcement." He spoke as he looked at the boy.

"Yesterday fellow student, Jaune Arc, experienced a rare form of _Aura Overload_. His aura had rapidly built up from being sealed for so many years that it finally discharged at a random event. This was due to the fact that he had not had his aura awakened until recently. Because of that his Aura built up over time and increased his reserves to massive levels due to inactivity. For months he had been only scratching the surface of his reserves." he chuckled slightly.

"Now I dare say he might have more Aura then the entire teaching staff combined."

Many eyes winded at this as they all shot to the young who only chuckled nervously at the many stares that he was receiving.

It was true that he had large reserves, this much Pyrrha knew, but even she was still surprised to hear that he was only scratching the surface of his powers. Ren and Blake had curious looks, Yang had raised eyebrows, Nora and Ruby had stars in their eyes while Weiss looked slightly gobsmacked expression on her face as she stared at the boy who shrugged his shoulder.

"The situation has been contained, however, the incident has left Mister Arc's Aura control unstable. Usually, under normal circumstance, Mister Arc would have no choice but to leave this campus until he has regained control of his aura. Something that could take years to complete." Jaune's team flinched as they feared the aspect of their leader no longer being a part of them, while teams RWBY also feared the aspect of losing their friend.

Even Jaune was confused as he wondered what the hell Ozpin was planning.

"However," he spoke as everyone turned to him.

"Despite his inexperience, I believe that he – like all of my students – have great potential to overcome the trials that are placed before. Whether that be learning in class or fighting the Grimm that barge on our doorsteps, I believe that each and every one of you has the _potential_ to _reshape_ this world into something worth fighting for. And If I were to send even one of you away without even attempting to help, then I should have no right to call myself Headmaster, let alone your teacher."

The Teachers and the students all stared at the Headmaster as they absorbed his words. Those who had attended the introduction speech at the initiation exam months ago, and those of the older students who knew the man for many of their younger years, noted that there was something different in his voice. Where his old speech was almost hollowed filled, rehearsed and empty, his new one seemed to reverberate with something that was almost akin to hope.

It was like the fire that was dwindling within him was renewed and relight with a powerful flame. One that would burn brightly for all to see. It was especially strange to the teachers as they noticed his aura seemed completely different. Even Glynda – who was briefed about what happened earlier – noted that he seemed to have new life in his eyes.

It was almost…inspiring.

"Which is why I make you all this promise. You will become the Huntsman and Huntresses' that will protect the Four Kingdoms, its cities and its people with all of our knowledge and all of our experience guiding you through life's Dark paths." The students nodded as they all felt invigorated and renewed. A new light shining in their eyes as they felt his faith resonating in his words.

Even Jaune was a little impressed at seeing the man before him.

Maybe it was regaining his lost powers, or maybe it had something to do with knowing that Salem can be beaten that had sparked this new hope within him. Whatever it was, it would help him with the trials that would face him and the many choices he would have to make to save the world and the ones he loved.

"Therefore, I will be helping Mister Arc in regaining control of his aura. Because I am the only one qualified at the moment to help him regain control in a short amount of time. Which is why starting today…" the man spoke as he turned to the Arc Scion.

"I will be taking him on as my Personal Apprentice."

…Silence seemed to resonate in the hall as many eyes stared at the man and the boy in question as many of them ranged from shock to stunned to even flabbergasted as they tried to process what the Headmaster just said. The teachers looked completely stunned, as those like Port had his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. Oobleck's glass slipped off his face and Glynda's mouth hung ajar as she stared at the man.

For Jaune's friends, however, their reactions varied. Ren and Blake had wide and confused eyes, while Nora and Ruby looked absolutely stunned. Yang looked surprised while Weiss was busy making the closest expression of a fish out of water anyone had ever seen, while Pyrrha had wide eyes and a somewhat sad look in her eyes.

More likely fearing the less time she would have with her crush.

But the source of all of this – Jaune – merely looked at the man and said.

"Wait, what?"

* * *

 **And Scene. Well here is Chapter III of my newest story Trial of the Gods. I'm surprised people like this, seeing as I thought people would start to get bored with time travel Jaune stories. I like them. It's the only way I can make a story involving the canon plot with divergence and a way to bring in a more experienced Arc.**

 **While I like Jaune getting earlier training and being more confident stories, I feel like they completely rewrite his character from his base personality. His clumsy, somewhat overconfident but kind and smart individual. I like the ones where he has suffered loss and will do anything to prevent it from happening. While still having fragments of the man he used to be.**

 **Now onto the chapter. My personal theory was that when Amber had her powers drained, a piece of that glove Cinder was wearing – which was made from Grimm – was hidden inside her. Leaving her comatose and unable to fight.**

 **I know it's more likely due to the fact she was missing half her soul, but I noticed she woke up when she was hit by the arrow. Which made me believe that she was kept comatose by either the machines or by something else.**

 **More than likely it was by having an arrow shoved into her heart. But hey, Fanfiction our rules.**

 **But in this way, she can only remain awake so long as Jaune continues to transfer portions of her Aura into her. Refilling her reserves like a car with fuel. This would hopefully lead to Jaune learning more about Amber, her role as a Maiden and learn more about the person who his partner had to replace.**

 **No, I am _not_ paring her with Jaune. **

**I know very little about her character and personality that I just cannot pair her with him. She will be more like a friend, and nothing else. Sorry all Amber/Jaune fans out there.**

 **Also, whoever made the suggestion of Jaunexfire…I don't see that happening. Maybe as a funny Omake, but we'll see.**

 **Also, I made Jaune Ozpin's** _ **Apprentice**_ **so that the two can retrain in their powers, make a valid excuse for Jaune to disappear and just claim it was an errand for Ozpin and allow Jaune freedom to operate as he sees fit. It will also throw in some interesting interactions with friends and lead to funny situations.**

 **One more prep chapter then its straight to the Trials**

 **Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter IV: Master and Apprentice**


	4. Chapter IV: Master and Apprentice

RWBY: Trial of the Gods

"So, you wish to change the fate of the World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"

 **The last chapter before I actually start the Trial Chapter. I needed to set up the world and Jaune's new circumstances before I just threw him into the trials. Sorry for the long wait a lot of shit has been happening in my life recently…But, that isn't going to keep me down! HA! HAHAHAHA!...**

 **Any who~ enjoy the Chapter. Masseffect-TxS out!**

* * *

Chapter IV: Master and Apprentice

* * *

Deep within the hollows of Beacon, in an underground Vault under the school, the sounds of metal clashed against one another as flashes of light sparked in the dimly lit hall. Two figures dashing around at high speeds as a flash of silver and a flash of yellow surged around each other. The silver flashes revealed to be that of Ozpin as he swung his cane at a younger figure, who was revealed to be Jaune.

Jaune blocked a swift cane to his face with sheath, while Ozpin narrowly avoided a boot to his chest. Both combatants evading or countering each other's blows as they moved across the vault. Jaune swung his sword sheathed in its case as the blade whistled left and right Ozpin. The man countered each strike with his own as he jabbed his cane at the boy's head who moved and evaded from the man's attacks.

Jaune instantly deployed his shield as the tip of the cane impacted and resonated against the metal as his feet dragged across the marble floor. He glared at the man from the edge of his shield as Ozpin looked back with a passive look on his face.

Both of them locked in a struggle as one side refused to relent while the other refused to yield.

Jaune's arms glowed as he focused his semblance into his arms and legs and began to push back. The man showing no sign of distress and continued to apply force to the boy's shield. But he smirked as he moved to the side and caused the boy to stumble forward. But Jaune was instantly on the defence again, as he raised his shield and blocked the man's attack.

"Impressive, it seems your time in the future had indeed sharpened your skills substantially, Mister Arc. Though your reaction time is slightly slow. No doubt being in a younger more untrained body. Speaking from experience I can assure you it will pass," he said as Jaune smirked.

"Thanks, I remember you telling Oscar that back in Mistral. But your moves are definitely better then Oscar's was, seeing as you got used to this current body. Then again, Oscar only had five years of training and your experience mixed into his so there was not much to compare to," Ozpin nodded slightly knowing the identity of who he would be reincarnated into.

The two broke off as Jaune angled his shield to glance off the attacks. But Ozpin was not the headmaster for no reason as he struck his cane between his legs and flipped the boy onto his back. The tip of his cane poised at his neck as it hovered just above his jugular.

"It would appear I've won, Mister Arc," the man said as Jaune sighed knowing his defeat.

"Yeah, I concede this time. You're just lucky that I wasn't back to my original strength. I think I might have had a better chance then," he grasped the man's hand as he pulled him up.

"Possible, but we still have time." The man said as Jaune rolled his eyes.

It had been almost a full month since Jaune had returned to the past to partake in the Trials and since he had become Ozpin's Apprentice, something that rocked the school to its core. See in the entire time Ozpin had been Headmaster at Beacon Academy – and even his years before that – he had never taken anyone under his wing before. Sure, he gave advice to some students and guided them to be better.

But the fact was he had never taken on a single student to become his apprentice. Not even when the most promising student Raven Branwen was attending Beacon did he take on an apprentice.

Then suddenly out of seemingly nowhere he takes on an apprentice, and it was Jaune Arc of all people. None of them knew the true reason behind it, but they were still shocked nonetheless. It had caused a slight uproar with some of the students – Weiss being one of them – about giving private lessons to the current failing student. But the man had explained his reason to help Jaune control his now _unstable Aura_ and that was his reason.

Many of them bought it, but some were still jealous that Jaune Arc of all people had been chosen to be his apprentice. To learn from the most prodigal Huntsman that ever existed who was also the youngest to ever become Headmaster. It was something to admire.

But Jaune…did not _exactly_ see it that way when he found out he was to be his apprentice.

* * *

One Month Ago – Ozpin's Office

* * *

"Your Apprentice?! That's the best you could come up with?!" a clearly annoyed Jaune Arc stood before the Headmaster as he looked back with a blank expression while drinking from his favourite mug.

"Why the hell did you think making me your apprentice would be a good idea?! Did I even ask to be your apprentice?! Why would I want to be your apprentice?! If you haven't forgotten I don't exactly trust you! Don't you think announcing something like that is going to change a few things?! I thought the whole point was to keep a low profile?! What the hell were you thinking?!" the man stared before he placed his mug down.

"There are a few reasons why I named you my Apprentice, Mister Arc." The man spoke as he laced his fingers together.

"First; It was the only way to create a valid and logical reason for you to regain your strength. Your little incident in the cafeteria wouldn't go unnoticed for long, especially from the Council. If they had gotten wind of it, they may have ordered me to suspend you from Beacon until you were no longer deemed dangerous. But by taking you on as my apprentice, I can assure them that I can help you harness your aura and keep them off your back."

Jaune's eye twitched at the mention of the council.

In his time - and now - they were a bunch of airheads who thought they knew better than everyone else. When they've never even stepped foot outside the cities walls. Especially in the future, he had to deal with their bureaucratic bullshit, which quite frankly, he couldn't give two shits about.

"Second; I am the only one capable of helping you relearn and retain your younger body. I speak of this because I have had to experience it multiple times within my many lifetimes. So logically I needed to have you as my apprentice so that I can allow you to retrain without hindrance." Jaune nodded at that as he was reminded of the fact that Ozpin had been through this Mystical/God reincarnation crap more times than he could count.

He was the expert after all.

"And third; I want to use you to inspire the other students." Jaune raised an eyebrow at this. The man reached over as he displayed some holographic papers. "Can you tell me what you see here, Mister Arc?" he asked as Jaune looked at the papers.

"Those are…my assignments? From when I was-…am a student…oh God, they're terrible." He cringed at the papers he had long since forgotten about.

"Yes, aside from tactic and strategy, your previous marks have been abysmal, to say the least. Let's not also forget that your combat skills at this time were…undeveloped." Jaune knew that was just a nice way of saying that he was bad at combat to which he could agree.

If it hadn't been for Pyrrha's lessons he would have died years ago.

"I know this is no longer the case for you, due to time travel and the skills you've no doubt acquired in the future. But in this time and place your current standing amongst your fellow peers is low. If you were to suddenly become stronger with no explanation it would start to raise a few questions. However, if I took you on as an apprentice, it would create a valid and believable excuse for your increase in strength in a short amount of time."

"That still doesn't explain how me being your apprentice can inspire people?"

Ozpin looked out at the students as they walked around the campus. "Today I made a promise to the students. I told them that I would guide them to becoming the Huntsmen's and Huntresses that will protect the Four Kingdoms from every and all threats." Jaune glared.

"Did you lie to them?" he asked as the man shook his head.

"I was not lying to them, Mister Arc…it's more I'm afraid I don't have the power to do so," he raised his hands as he felt his old magic course through him.

"I can gift people with incredible powers, I can make them stronger by sharing my own. But power is only as strong as the will of the one who wields it. You can give a man the power to crush a mountain, but it all depends on how strong his character is. He could use it to help mankind or use it to oppress them. There have been those I have gifted with powers with the hopes of making the world a better place, only to use them for their own means…" Jaune nodded his head as he thought about Raven, who possess both shapeshifting and the Spring Maidens Powers.

"I don't want to just make them stronger and lose themselves to their arrogance. I want to guide the students to be strong _and_ wise. Help them achieve the best of themselves without losing them to the worst of themselves. Most of them right now think they are already strong and that is all they need. They have no idea the dangers that lurk beyond these walls, the war that is to come and that can cost them their lives…" Jaune thought of Pyrrha's final moments when she faced the Fall Maiden by herself, despite the fact that they had both seen Ozpin lose to her and knew the truth in his words.

If she had realised the true difference in their strengths…she might have lived

"They need to see that even the weakest of them can be the strongest under the right guidance. That they too can become stronger. You are currently seen as the weakest, but if you become the strongest and made it look like I guided you, then hopefully it will make the others see that they still have room to grow."

"But it would be based on a lie?"

"In a way, yes. But you have to agree, Mister Arc, that your secret will not remain hidden forever. Salem will find out about the missing Relics, the Gods Trials and you eventually. This way at least the students can grow stronger by seeing you as a rival or something to inspire to." Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"…Is that why you wanted Pyrrha to be the Fall Maiden? So that she could inspire people." Ozpin looked down as he thought about the knowledge of Pyrrha's possible death.

"…Partially…but hopefully that will no longer be the case. I would rather not have more blood on my hands," the guilt of knowing his actions caused her death weighed heavy on his soul. "Not to mention Mister Arc I am the only one that could possibly help you control whatever mystical power or artefacts you receive from the Gods, due to my knowledge of the occult and the relics. This is the only way," Jaune sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

In a way, it did make sense.

Currently, he was seen as the weakest amongst everyone in Beacon – despite his grades in Tactics and Strategy – and suddenly getting stronger, no matter how much he tried to make it believable by himself, it would raise questions. Being his apprentice was the only way, though now it would paint a target on his back.

…which, strangely enough, was actually good.

If the enemy was focused on him, they would leave his friends alone – hopefully. A long shot but he would take what he could get. Salem would assume he knew more about the Relics and send Cinder after him, or Tyrian if he was lucky. Where he could lure them into a trap and kill them before they killed his friends.

In the last timeline, all of his friends were mutilated and broken because of her. But now he wouldn't give them the chance. Now if he was presented with the opportunity to grab their attention, kill them where they stood and protect his friends, he would gladly take it.

He sighed as he nodded. "All right, I'll be your apprentice." he placed his hands on the table as he glared at the man.

"But let me make one thing clear. You are going to help them get ready, not just sit in your tower and watch. You will be down there helping them from the ground up. You've spent too long in this ivory tower of yours, it's time you got back down to the dirt."

Ozpin nodded as Jaune crossed his arms. "So, what about the others, have you informed them about Amber? When will we be expecting Qrow and Ironwood?"

"For security reasons, I could not tell Ironwood about Amber over the phone. If what you say is true about Arthur Watts, then I cannot broadcast her condition least his agents intercept the message or…Lionheart for that matter."

The revelation of his friend's betrayal still heavy upon him until he shook it off.

"But I have requested him to arrive as soon as he can under the pretence of discussing security matters for his students arriving at Beacon. He's just finishing up some project back in Atlas, so we may see him in a month or two." Jaune nodded as he understood. Even to this day, he didn't know the full extent of Salem's reach.

They had to be careful.

"As for Qrow, he is currently on a deep undercover mission in the underworld of Remnant and has turned off his scroll. I've left him a cryptic message only he can decipher ordering him to return immediately. I have no idea when he'll read it, but hopefully, we should see him soon. And I have stressed the importance of being subtle with his return." He nodded again.

"So, for now, it looks like it's just you, me and Miss Goodwitch. Speaking of which, how did she take my…circumstance?" he asked as he was curious about what the vice-Headmistress of Beacon academy thought about all this.

"She handled the situation as expected of her. While initially shocked about the possible fate of the world and the invasion, she remained level-headed and focused on the task at hand…Though I will admit she was surprised it was you of all people that managed to remove the Relics from Remnant." He commented as Jaune chuckled.

"Tell me about it," he muttered to himself.

"In any case, I believe we have a lot to do before the Vytal Festival and the invasion. We need to gather more Huntsman, improve the CCT security software and begin your training if you want to be ready to face your trial next month." Jaune looked down at his bare skin as the symbol of the Gods briefly shimmered before disappearing. He gripped his fist and mentally prepared himself.

The next few months before the Vytal Festival would be crucial in preparing Vale for the War that was to come. Many decisions would have to be made, some of them would be even…questionable. But Jaune was willing to do anything to keep his friends safe.

Even if it cost him his soul.

"Let's get to work."

* * *

Present Day – Beacon Vault

* * *

Jaune sat down as he breathed in a heavy breath. He pressed a towel over his face as he wiped away the sweat that permeated his body. Despite only a month's worth of rigorous training, it was taking a while to regain his lost strength. His younger body – while fit in its own rights – was nowhere near the level of refining or durability that he had developed in his old one.

It felt like he was moving around in a stuffy suit most of the time.

"I really hope this comes to an end soon, I hate not being able to move like I used to," Jaune commented as he rested his arms on his knees. A bottle of water was waved in front of him as he graciously took it from the Headmaster.

"Worry not, the feeling will pass over time. When I first reincarnated centuries ago it was an odd experience. My second body was that of a regular that had never held a sword before, nor had he ever fought in combat. In fact, when I first spoke to him he thought he was going mad. It was a difficult challenge to convince him and get his body up to speed with my old skills." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"But your reincarnation subtly bleeds your skills and memories back into your bodies. I, on the other hand, have to work harder for my skill to return. My Aura is fine, it's my body that's taking longer to catch up. Plus, my travel back in time felt like someone shoved an entire dictionary straight into my brain, you told me yours was a painless experience." He said with a slight glare as the older man chuckled slightly.

"Yes, I suppose I did." He calmly drank from his own water as the man rested on a makeshift chair.

"Regardless you are catching up faster than I expected. I don't know whether this is your latent talent or experience from your years of repetitional training. But I can clearly see why Miss Nikos thought highly of you," Jaune nodded as he thought about his partner.

He softly smiled at the memories of sparring with her on the rooftop five years ago – for him at least – as the moments he spent with her made him feel like he could achieve anything. Then the invasion came and all he had left of her was the instructional videotapes that he repeated over and over again, just so he could hear her voice…

It was unhealthy for his mentality, he knew that…but it was the only thing that kept him going for all those years.

"Speaking of which, how did the rest of your friends take this apprenticeship?" Ozpin asked as he shook the boy out of his memories.

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, I can tell Pyrrha was a little disappointed that I'd be spending less time with her. I think part of the reason she wanted to train me was to get closer to me…How I couldn't see _that_ as a sign she liked me I have no idea?" he muttered the last part to himself as the Headmaster nodded.

"But I reassured her that it wasn't going to be forever. We sill train at night and I try to sit closer to her more during class, start to consider her feelings and spending less time with Weiss." He chuckled a little. "You know I never noticed how cute her blush was," he smiled as he remembered her stunned face when he sat next to her in class.

"Although I have noticed that Weiss gives me this glare every once in a while. More likely it's because I was chosen to be your apprentice instead of her. If I were to guess she thinks being your apprentice is a high honour befitting one of remarkable talent. Pfft, if only. But then again you never had an apprentice in the last timeline."

"I stopped taking apprentices roughly a few hundred years ago because I lost too many of them to Salem…but that never stopped her bloodlust."

"Ruby and Nora are excited for me. Blake congratulated me, but we don't have much of a relationship, so it was a little awkward. Going to have to fix that." He muttered as he thought of the Faunus in hiding. "Yang kept making puns about me becoming the teacher's pet, hey it's better than being called Vomit Boy…funny enough I actually missed her puns?"

Ozpin blinked as he wondered if he needed to hire a psychiatrist to examine the boys head after all the years of War and Violence.

Nobody liked Yang's puns… _nobody...ever!_

"Ren, on the other hand, seems a little suspicious of this whole deal. He won't say it, but I think he suspects something else is going on. I can't say I blame him, he always was the more observant of us. It was why I trusted him in the future to keep an eye on things for me…he was one of the few people that I could fully _trust_ at that time. One of the few people I knew who could stop me from going over the edge after everything that happened…especially after what happened to Pyrrha," Ozpin lowered his head.

Whether it was intentional or not, Jaune had kept dropping the fact that Pyrrha was killed because of his decision to make her into the Fall Maiden. His choice to expose her to the darkness of the world that send the boy into a spiral of pain and regret. But he also felt he did it as a reminder that he now held his fate in his hands, just as he had held hers once.

The Irony was not lost on him.

Hearing that he was the cause of her death also weighed on his soul, along with the countless others that already rested upon him. But this one was different. This one had dramatic effects that had fuelled the boy before him to defy the Twin Gods. To curse their names and seek a different path than the one he had walked centuries ago.

And clearly, it was a better path.

Jaune sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face, "Either way how is Amber doing?" he asked as he looked over to the end of the Vault.

The maiden herself sitting far away as her prone form was visible in her wheelchair while she stared off into space – or more accurately the casket she was once in – as she looked back at the reflective surface and the scar across her face. Her eyes faded slightly as they barely held a semblance of life.

"She is…taking her time adjusting to her condition. It has been hard to get her to sleep because she fears that she will not wake up again no matter how much we assure her. She barely eats and what food we do manage to give her is minimal at best. I have seen this happen to many warriors in my life, especially those that have lost the ability to properly function and question their place in this world. It will take some time, but she will pull through." He recounted as Jaune looked at the woman.

"Thankfully it seems she is more relaxed when you are here, Mister Arc. Considering you are the one that freed her from her slumber," at the mention of this she spared a glance to Jaune and her eyes warmed before turning back and fading once more.

"You may be her only source of emotional support for the moment." Jaune only shook his head.

"I'm…I'm not the best when it comes to that sort of stuff, but I'll try. In any case, I should head off now. The first period is about to begin, and I'd rather not keep my team waiting." Ozpin nodded as Jaune picked up his uniform jacket and slipped it over his clothes.

He had foregone wearing a tie as the many years he fought in the Second War made it feel like he had a rope tied around his neck. His shirt was untucked as he cared little for his state of dress, with his jacket left wide open.

"I do wish you would at least try and maintain your uniform, Mister Arc. This is still a school after all." Ozpin commented as Jaune shook his head.

"I spent too many years fighting in the war, wearing a uniform just makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm used to wearing full armour all the time, this makes it a little easier." He picked up a small knife as he placed it on a sheath at his back waist – concealed under his shirt – which received a questioning look from the headmaster.

"I feel naked if I don't have some sort of weapon with me," he explained as the man sadly nodded while the boy left in the elevator.

The old man looked between the boy and former maiden as he sighed wondering how he was going to be able to fix the problems he had created. A hardened war veteran and a broken maiden all forged by his mistakes. _'One step at a time I suppose?'_ he thought as he walked over and placed a hand on Amber.

' _One step at a time…'_

* * *

Beacon Halls

* * *

Jaune walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets as he passed by the large windows of the Academy. The early morning sun creating small beams of light that cut the shadows in half. The warm colours of the morning light basking the hall in a warm and pleasant atmosphere that many found comforting in their long stay at the academy. Smiling faces and small chatter echoing in the hall as the students walked by him with a little notice.

Jaune, on the other hand, was busy thinking as he stared at his left hand.

The Mark of the Gods briefly shimmering upon his skin before it faded from existence. Since he had received the mark and started training with Ozpin he hadn't heard a word from the Gods. He reckoned they were more than likely working on the trials that he was to take part in, with the first one being from the God of Fire – Ignis. He could only imagine what the God of Fire had _cooked_ _up_ for him.

Oh, Gods, he was truly messed in the head if he was starting to make Yang Puns.

Still, he thought he would have heard something from them by now. Then again, they were Gods, after all, they had better things to do then talk randomly to a mortal.

'I _t would be nice if they let me know when the first Trial will begin or how long it can take. I need all the time I can get if I want to be able to defeat Salem in time.'_ He thought to himself as he sighed.

"Oh well, I can't keep worrying about it. Patience is a virtue my dad always said…yet the man never did show the same thing when mum makes those apple pies of her?" he chuckled as he remembered his father once burning his fingers trying to get at his mother's famous pies.

He soon found his way to Professor Ports classroom as he arrived just as the lecture was about to begin.

"Ah, Mister Arc. So glad you could join us today! I was certain you would be spending it with Ozpin?" the boisterous man proclaimed as everyone in the class turned to him as he sighed. The stares were those of slight jealousy as many of them still wondered why he was made Apprentice to Ozpin despite having very limited skill.

He instantly ignored them and walked over to his seat – now next to Pyrrha – as he sat down before Port coughed into his hand. "In any case, let us begin the class with the tale of how I bested the Wendigo of Backwater Bridge with nothing but my trusty weapon and a piece of rope!"

Jaune managed to tune him out as he absently read from his book. A textbook guide to the many categories of Grimm that existed and recorded in recent history. Jaune chuckled internally as he noted how outdated the book was to him. He had already faced more than half of these Grimm and the many more that had yet to be encountered. Like the Geist that he and the members of team RNJR faced in the Anima forest.

Not only that but he noted how ineffective some of these supposed 'tactics' against said Grimm was 'guaranteed' to be effective. Granted they may have worked in the past when they were written. but it's not like the authors had actually faced these Grimm years later.

During the War, he knew many other ways to defeat them. For example, the book recommended that to defeat a Goliath it was best to target the small weaker ones first and move. But Jaune had figured out the best way to take down the Grimm was by killing the Alpha of the pack first.

In every Grimm, there are always 'packs' and herds and each one of them had a leader class. They were the biggest and strongest of the group that commanded more respect out of the others.

A simple distraction with incendiary grenades, a few well-placed shots with a high-powered sniper to the eyes and a heavy dose of an electrified hammer to its skull – with a boost of his own aura to a certain Thunderer – and the leader was good as dead. This left the packs confused and distorted that they fall like dominos to well-planned fire teams…and a cliff.

' _Man, things are so much different when you actually know what you're doing?'_ he thought to himself as he flipped the pages. _'Now I can actually understand what the heck Port is talking about.'_

"And so, with nothing but my keen observation skills, my weapon and my glorious moustache! I tied my rope around my axe and spun it like it was high noon at the rodeo in Vacuo! Hahaha!"

'… _Okay maybe not all of it,'_ he continued to read the textbook – or at least pretended to – until he felt a small tap on his shoulder as he turned to see the smiling face of his partner. Though from long experience Jaune could tell that she had a concerned look in her eyes.

"Jaune, are you okay? I've been saying good morning to you since you sat down." Jaune blinked before he mentally slapped himself.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you, I've just got a lot on my mind is all," he responded as she nodded.

"I would imagine so, you left so early this morning that we didn't get to say goodbye. But I guess that should be expected to be Ozpin's apprentice and all. It must be a really great honour and a privilege to learn from him?" Jaune held back a snort as he did not find it a privilege and actually found it more convenient than anything.

"I guess so, but it's actually not much different from learning from you. He just teaches me basic meditation techniques to control my aura, combat stances and sparring sessions to help regulate my aura flow…" he smirked as he looked at her.

"The only difference I guess is that I'm learning from an old fart instead of a pretty girl."

Pyrrha's face exploded in a flush of crimson as mutters and sputters while Jaune smirked at her clearly red face. His mind began to drift as he stared at his foregone partner from a time that no longer existed.

Since coming back Jaune initially had mixed feelings about his partner for a couple of reasons. For one he still felt the hurt and pain of when she sent him away while she perished against Cinder. Even though he knew it was to protect him the event had left a hole in his heart, one that had never fully healed.

Second; He knew that the only reason she did that was that she had been dragged into the Secret War between Ozpin and Salem, exposing herself to the darkness that was hidden from the world. Because Ozpin had made the attempt to transfers Ambers powers into her to even the playing field against Cinder only to die against her in vain.

Sure, her death had inadvertently unlocked Ruby's Silver Eye powers and freeze the Grimm Dragon in its place buying them time. But the price for that victory was too much on all of them.

But now that he was back, he knew about her feelings for him. He knew about her gigantic crush on him and how she kept herself from expressing those feelings because of his attraction to Weiss. Something he hated about himself for over the past five years. But his crush with Weiss had long since passed and he was back to before the Second Great War before she met her untimely end.

Before she confessed with a bittersweet kiss.

He was so confused about how he should feel about her now that she was alive again. He didn't know whether he should feel the same way she did about him or if he had feelings beyond friendship because of the guilt of knowing her feelings. Or if he should feel angry at her for getting herself killed in the first place. For sacrificing herself for him when he never asked her to. For hiding her feelings from him for so long when all she had to do was tell him.

It was a tidal wave of mixed emotions all leading to a whirlpool of uncertainty and fear.

But whatever his feelings were, he could not deny the fact he was happy to see her alive again. Happy to know that he had the opportunity to alter not only her fate but the fate of all his friends and family. Happy to know that this time he _could_ make a difference.

That is if he passed the Trials.

He glanced down at his hand as clenched his fist in preparation for the first trial. Whenever and whatever it would be.

* * *

A Few Hours Later – Beacon Cafeteria around Dinner Time

* * *

The class eventually ended as everyone was gathered around the dining hall tables. Students were grabbing their meals, friends were talking and chatting away with each other – either about upcoming assessments or when their next mission would be. It was full of life and peace. But under the surface, Jaune could feel the many eyes that glance upon him. Some even whispered about him. Some of it was about his sudden change in demeanour, but most of it was about his new apprenticeship with Ozpin – as some of them were jealous about him being taught by such a renowned huntsman such as him…

Or it could have been the fact that he blew up said cafeteria a month ago and because of the damage – despite Glynda's best efforts to repair it – they had to eat their lunch outside for the said month.

But Jaune really didn't care about what others thought, he had much more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. For example, Ruby trying to get everyone to go to the movies tonight while he kept telling her he couldn't. But that didn't stop the young leader of Team RWBY from trying.

"Please?"

"No"

"Please?"

"No"

"Please?! Please-Please-Please-Please!?" said girl pleaded as she clapped her hands together and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry Ruby but I can't go out tonight."

"AW! But why not?! You've been training nonstop with Ozpin for the past month now! And whenever you don't have training with him your off training with Pyrrha! You haven't spent any time with us since then. And I really wanted to see that new Spruce Willies Movies – you know the one with the building and the helicopter dog? Why can't you skip training for one night?

"I've told you, I have more training with Ozpin. My Aura is still not under control and I need to get it right. Otherwise, I'm going to have to leave the school." He tried to tell her as she slumped her shoulders.

"But it's not fair. I barely get to see my friend anymore," she moped as placed her head in her arms on the table. Her sister patting her back as Ruby had a clearly annoyed look on her face. Jaune merely rolled his eyes as he continued to eat.

"She does have a point, Vomit-Boy. You've been training with Ozpin for the past month now, surely you must have gotten your Aura under control now?" Yang asked as Jaune shook his head.

"Unfortunately, it seems that my aura is larger than Ozpin predicted. I'm still having trouble maintaining and harnessing all this new power. Most of the time I end up burning myself out or overloading myself while trying to control it. So, for the time being, I've still got a lot of training to do." He mused trying his best to lie to his friends.

True, he never was any good at lying to them. Ruby made that fact clear during her final moments. But now he had to properly lie to them. To make them believe that he was still having trouble with his aura when the truth is he had more control over it now than he ever had before.

Luckily, he was apprenticed to the best liar in the world. He was bound to pick up something.

"Where do you train anyway? We haven't seen you or Ozpin at any of the training grounds, or Miss Goodwitch's Combat Arena. Where do you train?" Weiss asked as Jaune shook his head.

"It's a special facility hidden in the school that I have to keep secret. Apparently, it was used by the previous Headmasters from a long time ago. I can't really tell you guys, sorry." He merely said as he especially chose the Vault so as they do not stumble upon him and his true abilities.

"Jaune," he turned to the voice of his partner as Pyrrha sat next to him. "We barely get to see you anymore. Don't you think you can ask Ozpin to let you have one night off? It has been a while since we've all hung out together."

"Don't you mean _hugged out_ Pyrrha?" Yang quipped as the red-haired girl flushed red while Jaune subtly rolled his eyes at the blond bombshell.

"Regardless, it is dangerous to put too much effort into training," Ren spoke as he sat next to Nora while he and Blake had a cup of tea with them. "Normally I wouldn't mind skipping out on Movie Night, but it has been rather different with your absence. I'm sure the Headmaster wouldn't mind you letting have on a night off?" Jaune looked at his hand and clenched his fist.

' _Sorry guys, but if you knew what was about to happen. What failing the Trials could potentially do to you…you wouldn't try to stop me…still, can't really tell them. Might as well just say something to appease them at least.'_ He looked back up as he shook his head with a smile. "Sorry, but Ozpin is pretty strict. I'll try and talk to him, but I can't guarantee anything."

Ren narrowed his eyes at the strange behaviour of his leader.

For a month he had noticed subtle changes within the Leader of the Team JNPR ever since the cafeteria incident. He was more reserved than before, more focused when it came to the lectures and had seemingly started paying more attention to his partner than usual. Which was odd seeing as the month before he had plans to ask out the Heiress of the Schnee corporation. Now it seemed he wanted to spend more time with his partner then asking Weiss out.

He even started calling her Weiss instead of Snow Angel.

Something had happened to change their leader other than the aura overload – something he was sure he had never heard before. But he wasn't sure what it was or how Headmaster Ozpin fitted into all of this, but one way or another he was going to find out. For now, however, he had to let his leader decided when he would tell them the truth.

If only he knew what he really hid from them.

Jaune noticed his brother's sceptical look as he knew that the silent member of his team was not fully buying the story. He knew he would have to tell the truth eventually, he wasn't planning on keeping it a secret forever and he doubted he could. but for now, he had to keep the façade going that he was still the same Jaune he used to be and not the bloodied veteran that he had become…

Oh well, at least he had a better poker face this time.

Just as he reached over to grab some food he felt a pulse from his hand. He faintly saw the mark of the Gods begin to appear on his skin before he quickly hid his hand under the table and saw the mark glow with a faint red.

' _Oh sure, now it's time…got to make the call,'_ he mused to himself as it seemed now that the time had come for his first Trial to begin. Subtly reaching for his scroll he texted Ozpin to give him an excuse to leave. Luckily no sooner did he send the text the Vice-Headmistress' voice resonated over the intercom.

"Attention would Mister Arc please head to the Headmasters office. Mister Arc to the Headmasters office."

"Sorry, looks like I've got to go. I'll see you guys," he quickly stood up and promptly left the table before they could get a word in edgewise.

He pulled his hand from out of his pocket as the symbol of the Gods shimmered upon his skin. The black ink now a fiery red as the symbol of the flame now waved and flicked like a true flame upon his skin. A pleasantly warm sensation washed over his body as he felt the warmth of the fire. Clearly, it was a sign from the Ignis – the God of Fire – that his Trial was ready and that he needed

His mind was shaken from his thoughts as his scroll rang out and he reached into his pocket to grab his scroll. "Mister Arc is it time?" the headmaster's voice spoke through the speaker.

"Yeah, it just started glowing red when I was having dinner. I'm no expert but I think this means that my first Trial with the Fire God is about to begin and that I need to head into the Emerald Forest."

"Do you need some assistance? The Emerald Forest is rather dangerous at night time."

"No, the Trial is for me and me alone. Besides, I'll be fine. Travelling by night is something I'm used to in my old time and it will make finding a burning tree in the middle of the forest a lot easier to spot. Just, if my friends ask, tell them I'm spending the night running an errand for you in town and that I'll be staying at a hotel. I don't know how long this Trial will take and I'd rather not make them worried. I'll contact you after the Trial…if I pass?"

"Very well, good luck Mister Arc and may the Gods be with you." Jaune scoffed slightly when the dial tone rang.

"Was that a joke?"

He pocketed the scroll as he made his way to the locker rooms. Grabbing his weapon and gear he marched his way towards the Beacon Cliffs. The sun setting over the mountains as the forest was basked in darkness.

* * *

Leaves rustled against the wind and crickets chirped into the night as the light from the shattered moon of Remnant began to rise over the emerald glade. Jaune's shoes crushing small twigs beneath his feet as he marched his way deeper into the woods. His sword drawn as the ancient steel flashed a reflection of the moons glow with every step he took.

While normally it was not recommended to be travelling at night as the Grimm were usually at their strongest Jaune often had no choice in the future. There were many times he had to walk through the darkness of the night in order to make it to his destination in time during the Rebellion. But strangely there was a disturbing lack of Grimm in the area.

He knew from long experience that the Grimm – especially the younger ones – never hesitated with attacking lone huntsman at night.

"Yet I've been walking for about an hour and still no Grimm." He looked down at this hand as the Mark of the Gods glowed on his skin. "Is it because of the Mark, is it keeping the Grimm away? Well, that's kind of handy. But I get the feeling it only works when I'm summoned for the Trials." He sighed knowing that replication of such a feat would be too much to ask the Gods for.

He already had two that hated him and already had asked too much from the Gods. he would rather not push his luck any further.

"Speaking of which where is it? Ignis told me to head into the forest and search for _'a tree that is set ablaze but will not burn.'_ You'd think something like that would stick out like a sore thumb?" he looked around to see no trees burning or any kind of fire whatsoever.

"So where is it?"

Walking into a large clearing he noticed the mark on his hand fade as the glow slowly faded into his skin. "Okay…now, what?" he asked himself as he looked around for anything that might give him a clue on what to do next. The only other thing he did find was a lone tree growing in the centre of the clearing.

Before he could question anything a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the tree. The tree instantly igniting in a powerful blaze so bright that Jaune had to shield his eyes from the light. When it died down he cautiously looked to the tree and awed at the perfect condition the tree was in – despite the fact that everything about it was set on fire. But upon closer inspection none of the leaves was burning, none of the bark was crackling or turning to ash.

It was like the flames just sat on the tree itself and completely ignore the laws of physics.

"…Well, I'll give it to the God of Fire. He certainly knows how to make an entrance." He cautiously walked towards the burning – yet not burning – tree as he gingerly moved closer to it. "So, what do I?" as if to answer his question the Mark on his hand glowed as it shone brighter than before. He looked between the tree and the mark drawing a conclusion from the two.

"All right, I get it …this better not hurt." He gingerly moved his hand towards the flame as he ignored all basic instinct to get away from the fire that could potentially burn him. Yet the moment his hand touched the bark the whole tree lit up and for a moment he was blinded.

When the light faded he found himself in somewhere completely different. It was like the void he first appeared in but was a combination of red, orange and yellow as it swelled and shifted like flames. Not only that but unlike the void, there was a certain warmth to it. Almost pleasant.

"Hey, about time you got here!"

He spun around as a figure stood before him. A tall tanned man with fiery red hair and matching burning eyes smirked at him donned in an ancient armour and blood red cloth as he stood before the boy. "Welcome to your first Trial kid. Hope you brought your sunblock, cause this test is going to get hot!"

* * *

 **And Scene. Well here is Chapter IV of Trial of the Gods. Sorry for the late update but like I've said I have just been dealing with a lot of shit in my life. But I am still here, I am still alive, and I am still writing my stories. I am currently working on the next chapter for Darkness, so I should have that up soon, maybe in the next few weeks – no guarantee. But thank you all for your continued support and reviews. It's what keeps me going.**

 **Also, check out Paths of the Arc by Sixsamchaos, it has two of my stories up and has just posted chapter II of Remnant Knight, it is awesome, and I am very happy for his efforts. Anyway, stay tuned for the next Chapter of Trial of the Gods in…  
**

 **Chapter V: Trial by Fire.**


	5. Chapter V: Trial by Fire

RWBY: Trial of the Gods

"So, you wish to change the fate of the World? To erase the damage caused by Salem and the mistakes of Ozpin? Very well, Mortal, we shall grant you this chance. But to do so, you must face many of our trials, earn our gifts and end this bloodshed once and for all. So, Commands the Gods of Remnant!"

 **Due to episode 3 of Season 6 - The Lost Fable. Watch it on Rooster Teeth before reading this. I have gone back and edited a lot of my stories because of it...oh boy that is a lot to handle. I will also be editing the first few chapters of this story as well. Reread chapters 1 & 2 before reading this one. **

* * *

Chapter V: Trial by Fire

* * *

Fire is one of the primordial elements that make up our world. Its flames bring light and life to all living creatures when tamed, but also death and destruction when set loose. It is one of the hardest and most powerful elements to control in the world of Remnant. Jaune stared at the man before him as he stood in what he could only assume was the realm of fire. The man before him grinning with a confident smile as Jaune said…

"…Um…who are you?" the man flinched before he slumped his shoulders.

"Oh, come on, not you too! Why does everyone not recognise me when I am in my human form? It's me, Ignis! The God of Fire!" Jaune blinked as he compared the red-haired man to the tall fiery being, he met a month ago. He had the personality of the God, maybe?

"Uh…sorry, I just didn't expect you to look so…human?" the God chuckled at this as he swept his long red hair back.

"Yeah, I guess I can see your point. Us Gods don't normally wear our human forms like this, but I figured you'd rather talk with someone more to your level then constantly looking up my tunic?" Jaune didn't say anything as the man was still taller than him. But at least he wasn't gargantuan.

"Fair point…so, I guess this is your dimension or something?" Ignis clicked his fingers as he smiled.

"Bingo, Kid. This is my dimension and the source of all fire in exitance. Like how Light had his Pool of Life, and Darkness had had his pit of Darkness, it is here that I forged the very first star in the sky. Where I crafted the flames that would brighten and warm the earth from a cold existence…plus I like to see it as my pad, you know for the ladies." He wiggled his eyebrows as Jaune gave the God a deadpan stare.

"…Really?"

"…No not really, it's hard to date when you're related to most of them."

He shook his head as he waved his hands and the orange hue of the dimension slowly faded. "In any case let us begin your trial. Unfortunately, stuff like this comes with formalities, which I am not a big fan of, so bear with me." Jaune nodded as the God of Fire closed his eyes before opening them again.

Jaune nearly stumbled as the man opened them to reveal his eyes burning like the sun and a powerful aura surrounded the man. With two horns of flames springing from his forehead.

 _ **"Chosen Champion of the Gods. Here before you stand I, Ignatius of the Flames, God of Fire and creator of the Sun in the Heavens. Through my trial, you must overcome the flames that burn and light your world to harness the element of fire. Should you succeed the power of fire will be at your command. Fail…and the flames will consume you and send your soul to the pits of Tartarus. Do you understand?"**_ his voice massive in volume spoke with a level of seriousness and command that almost betrayed the fun going man that Jaune had met.

Jaune nodded as Ignis summoned a ball of white flames in hands. He shot it out to the centre of the dimension, far from Jaune and Ignis as it floated upon a pedestal of stone that rose from the flame.

" _ **Retrieve the flame that you see, and my gift shall be yours to command."**_

Jaune looked between the flame and the God before nodding and walk towards the flame. But before he took even one step a massive wall of fire shot up from the earth and forced him back. The flames were massive and bright as the very heat caused him to back away. He looked back to the Fire God as his eyes returned to their normal red hue.

"Didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" he spoke with no cocky attitude or joking nature. "These are Flames of Truth, one of my most power flames forged from the sun itself. They will know if you have found the true meaning of the Flames. The only way for you to pass this trial is by going through these flames and retrieving the power inside." Jaune looked at the tall flames and the white orb in the centre.

He reached towards the wall of fire to touch the flames and instantly recoiled in pain as the tips of his fingers burned. "That seems a bit much, don't you think?" The god of Fire merely shrugging his shoulders.

"Eh, this is how the trials have always been. Spirits usually have to think of a way to overcome my flames in order to ascend to the next trial. Most of them don't even make it that far." He spoke in memory of the many wannabe spirits that wished to ascend.

"But since you're human you have a tougher time, being all fleshy and stuff." Jaune nodded as he looked at the flames. "Though I'll give you a hint, no penalties and because I like you." He turned back as the man pointed to his eyes.

"How you interpret the true purpose of fire, is how you will succeed. That's all I can give you. Good luck."

He disappeared in a burst of flames as Jaune looked confused before turning back to the wall of fire. He looked around to see if there was some form of a gap in between the flames that would grant him access to the gift he sought. But as he continued to walk around the flame, he realized that it was never-ending. It just continued to stretch across the plain, no matter how far he continued to run. He sighed as he steeled himself.

"Okay, finding a way around won't work. So, I just need to go right through it, it can't be that hard right?" he stood before the flame as his aura shimmered with his semblance. "If I increase my natural defence, I should be able to make it through with only a few small burns." He stepped forward to walk into the flame.

He didn't even get his whole arm in before the flames burned away at his aura and burnt his flesh.

"GAH!" he screamed falling to the floor, his righting hand smoking and flaming as he held his wrist. "GAH! WHAT THE FUCK?!" he clutched his hand as third-degree burns covered the entirety of his hand's flesh. Boiling blisters and brunt flesh present on his skin as he cried out in pain. "ARGH!" he screamed with small tears in his eyes.

He flooded his aura into his hand as the burns slowly began to heal away. But burns still sent pain down his arm as he held his wrist. After he managed to calm his nerves he looked down at his shaking hand and at the flames that caused his pain.

"What the hell!? It just ate right through my aura!" he hissed as he looked at his blistering and red hand. His semblance kicking into overdrive as the skin slowly faded back to its undamaged state. "Okay, so walking through it is a no go…think, 'How you interpret the true purpose of fire, is how you will succeed.' How I interpret fire?" he looked to the flames and thought about fires nature.

Fire was destructive, unrelenting, it burned anything in its path and left nothing in its wake. Fire was destruction, Fire was unforgiving, Fire was uncontrollable. A brief memory of Pyrrha flashed through his mind and Cinder's smirking face as she burnt her to a crisp. Fire was…death.

He slowly walked towards the flames with this mindset as he placed his hand into the flames. At first, nothing happened as he walked more into the fire…only to scream as the flames quickly consumed him.

He screamed and hollered as the fires burnt at his flesh and singed his skin. He jumped from the flames as he rolled around on the floor. His nerves burning away, and his skin dissolving into ash as he screamed in absolute terror and pain.

* * *

Unbeknownst to him, the Gods watched from their realm as the boy once again tried to break through the barrier.

" **This is pointless."** The God of Darkness spoke as he glared at the child. **"There is no way he can pass the trial of Fire. No matter what he tries he will never understand the true mean of fire. His kind sees it as nothing more than a tool of destruction. They've always been that way and that is how they shall remain."**

 _"Give him a chance, Darkness. This is only his first trial after all. It is to be expected of him to struggle."_ Aquarius argued while Ignis nodded.

"Yeah come on bro, he's the first human to ever attempt this, he may just surprise us. I think the kid will do it." Ignis stated before Light shook his head.

" _We once believed our creation held much promise. But time and time again they've only proven to be stuck in their own ways…"_ Light looked sadly at the struggling boy. _"I fear that he too is cursed to stay that way."_

"Do not be so hasty, sons," Chronos spoke as they turned to him. "There is much more to that boy then you realise, or have you truly lost all faith in your own creations?" the brothers said nothing as they turned back to the view. "Now…let us see what he shall do next."

* * *

Team JNPR's Room

* * *

Pyrrha stared out the window as the shattered form of their moon hung over their heads. Its gentle light glowing over the silent city as her gaze changed from the moon to the empty bed beside her. Its sheets undisturbed as its occupant was gone for the night. She sighed as she fiddled with the pencil in her hands. Her pencil tapping against the notebook on her desk, with a rhythmic and impatient beat.

"Sighing's not going to fix anything," she turned to Nora as she lay on her bed with her headphones around her neck and her comic in hands. "Seriously, I can hear you through these! And they're soundproof!" She gestured to the headphones as if to prove her point.

"Sorry, I just…I just wonder what's taking Jaune so long? He should've been back from Ozpin's office by now. I wonder what's been keeping him?"

"The headmaster probably has his reasons," Ren spoke from his bed as he meditated. "Jaune is after all his new apprentice, we shouldn't be surprised that the Ozpin is going to keep him busy. The thing I want to know is what has happened to our leaders…personality." the two girls stared in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you two noticed that ever since the cafeteria Jaune has been acting differently from before? Not just his grades that have been improving, but the way he holds himself is vastly different from before then. There's no hesitation or doubts in his voice when he speaks like he used to, he stance is more rigid and reformed like those you see off harden veterans and he seems more confident and no longer second-guesses his choices." The girls nodded a bit as they too had noticed that.

"Also, since then he hasn't bothered to ask out Weiss once. He even stopped calling her 'Snow Angel' which is odd considering he has a crush on her." Pyrrha lightly grumbled at this.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. I also noticed that he seems to be a little more flirtatious with our fellow champion here, eh Pyrrha?" Nora grinned as the red-haired champion blushed at this. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he may have figured out your crush on him?" that sent a bolt of lightning to the girl's chest as her heart hammered rapidly.

"W-What?! N-no Jaune's just being…friendly! Yes, that's it! There's no he could've figured out I have a crush on him!? …right?" she asked with doubt, but a small hint of hope in her voice.

"You do have to admit that he's been treating you differently since the incident. I can't describe it, but the way he looks at you…it's like he's happy that you're here in his life.

"Not to mention when he thinks no one is looking he has this…far away look in his eyes. Almost like he knows something. What it is I don't know." The three stared at each other before they looked at the lone bed and wondered what was going on with their leader.

* * *

Ignis Realm – Trial of Fire

* * *

The flames slowly died down as he lay on the floor, his breath ragged and his skin flayed as he lay curled on the floor. His fingers twitched and his shook with pain before his aura slowly healed over the burnt flesh. He could feel his aura draining away with each attempt he made to push through the barrier. Time had lost all meaning to him as he could not remember how long he had been in this place.

A day? A month? A Year? He could no longer tell.

"…Argh…Come on…" he grunted as he moved to his side. "Get up…Get up…" he pushed himself to stand even as his body trembled. "I'm not…I'm not done yet." He stood on shaky legs as he walked over to the flames.

His hands barely brushing against the flames before his skin began to burn and he screamed in pain. Clutching his rest and releasing a myriad of curses from his mouth that could make a sailor blush and earn a right smack in the ear if his mother ever heard him.

"FUCK! SON OF A BITCH! GAH!" he clutched his hand as the skin grew back. He hissed and gasped as his skin grew back for the umptieth time, starring at the pink and newly grown flesh before he curled his hand into a fist and cursed.

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! This is fucking impossible! 'Find the true meaning of fire?!' I'll tell you what the true meaning of fire is! It's nothing but trouble!" he yelled as he looked up to the void. "All it has ever done is take everything from me! My home! My family! My friends! And the only God damn person that actually believed I could be anything more than a failure! Fire only consumes! Fire only takes! Fire only kills! That all it does!" his yells echoing out as he dropped to his knees.

He held his head low as he felt the warm flames surge and shutter behind him. He took a deep breath as he finally allowed his nerves to cool and his emotions to settle.

"Okay, okay, got that out of my system. Let's think, there has to be a way to beat this trial it's not impossible. Others have done it, so it's within reason that I should be able to do it too…granted this trial is only meant for immortal beings, but that's beside the point." He looked back to the flames as he stared at the massive wall.

"Think, Ignis said… _'How you interpret the true purpose of fire, is how you will succeed'_ …but what does that mean? What can you interpret fire as?" he looked at his hands as the pain from the burns still lingered on his palms. "In my former life, Fire has only ever taken from me. It's burned the word, my friends and everyone I've ever loved. Fire is destruction, fire leaves nothing but ash. That's all there is…"

He blinked as something inside him triggered and he remembered something from long ago.

* * *

Years Ago – Gilded Arc

* * *

"Argh!" A small boy came rushing back into the house as he held his burnt hand. "Mummy!" the small child cried out as he ran towards a woman, presumably his mother.

"Oh, my goodness! Jaune! What happened!?" the woman asked as the boy held his red hand.

"I-I was helping dad with the firepit for the BBQ! A-And I went to help pick up the tongs and the stupid metal burned me!" he cried as held up his slightly red hand before the woman picked up the small six-year-old.

"There, there Jaune. Let's get this under some cold water." She said as she brought the boy over to the tap and poured cold water over his burnt hand. Small tears still lingered around his eyes as the water stung the burn.

"You have to be really careful Jaune, fire isn't something children should be playing with. You could seriously hurt yourself." She scolded the boy slightly before she placed a rag full of ice over his hand.

"I-I am sorry, mum. I hate fire! It's stupid! Why do we even need it? All it does it hurt!" he complained as the woman giggled at his pouting face.

"Now that's not fair Jaune. Fire isn't fully responsible for your burn. Yes, it did burn you, but fire isn't all that bad. In fact, without fire, we wouldn't be here today." The boy looked confused as she smiled and pointed to the sky outside her window.

"What do you see out there?"

"The sky?"

"Yes, and what's in the sky right now?"

"…The clouds?" she chuckled as she pointed to the bright ball in the sky.

"No silly, the sun." he looked confused as she placed the boy on her lap. "See Jaune, the sun is really a big ball of fire. Its light shines upon the world with its glow and lets us see what's around us, without it, we would all be really cold right now. Fire is also what we use to cook our food and lights our way in the darkness." She then pointed to his chest. "Not only that, but legends say that the Gods placed a little bit of fire inside of each and every one of us. To help us stay warm and alive and shine against the monsters." She smiled brightly that warmed his heart.

"So, you see Jaune, fire isn't just bad…Fire is also a part of life."

Tiny Jaune stared before he tilted his head in confusion. "I don't get it?" she chuckled.

"I'll explain it one day when you're older. No, come on, let's go see what your father is up to. Knowing him he's probably burnt the food by now, huh?" she chuckled as the boy giggled as well before the memory faded.

* * *

Jaune stared at his hand as he smiled softly at the warm memory before when closed his fist. He slowly stood up as he breathed in a calming breath. His mother's words and the words of Ignis floated around his mind as he thought about the trial and the meaning of fire's existence.

Fire for as long as he had been alive had always been there. It had hurt him, it had burned everyone it ever came in contact with, it had destroyed everything he had ever loved and was used by the one he despised the most. But it had also lighted his way in the darkest times, kept him warm in the coldest of nights and defended him from the beasts of Grimm.

Fire had always been a part of his life.

' _Fire… isn't necessarily evil'_ he thought before he stood up as he looked at the towering flames and closed his eyes. _'Fire…was never evil' to begin with'_ he took a step forward as held his hand towards the flames. _'Fire had no control of the Cinder's actions, fire isn't destruction…'_ he placed his hand into the flame.

' _Fire…is a part of life'_

For a moment he expected to feel the blistering pain he had experienced for the millionth time, but instead, he felt a gentle warmth as he opened his eyes to see his hand perfectly intact. He marvelled as he waved his hand on the flames. He slowly stepped into the flames as he passed harmlessly through the inferno. He stepped more into the fire as he spotted the white ball of fire in the centre. He reached out as he grabbed the orb and the whole realm was illuminated in a bright light.

The wall of fire surged and raged before it started to wrap itself around his arms. He closed his eyes when the light became too bright. When it faded, he stared in awe as his arms were glowing with a bright orange hue that slowly faded into a pair of gauntlets.

The Gauntlets were gold in colour, similar to that of ancient warriors with sharp claws and streams of magma glowing between the gaps. On the back of the palms were two flames like metal patterns and orange gems in the centre of the flames.

"Whoa…" Jaune muttered as he flexed the clawed gauntlets.

"Congratulations kid!" he spun around as Ignis reappeared before the boy and laughed. "You did it! You figured out the true meaning of the test and passed the Trial of Fire! Oh man, you should've seen the looks on Light and Dark's face! It was priceless!" he laughed he notched the boy just staring at him and he cough into his hands.

"Right sorry, regal time. Congratulations Mortal, you have passed the Trial of Fire, understood the true meaning of fire and earned my power…. You see, it was never my intention to create fire as a Destructive element. I created it to bring warmth and comfort to the cold abyss of the Universe. But in my haste, I never realised how fragile the universe truly was and it became known as a destructive force." He hung his head as the world became one of ash.

"So many of your kind held anger towards my fire and began to see it as either a curse or a tool for war. So many creations were destroyed by mine and I started regretted ever creating." Jaune looked around as the history of Fire's abuse played out before him. He hung his head and curled his fist when it showed it being wielded by Cinder and using it against his partner.

"But I later learned that even though fire can destroy creations…" he gestured to the ground as from the ashes a small plant began to grow. "It allows for the possibility of something beautiful to flourish." the small plant became a flower before blooming and scattering to the wind.

"Fire wasn't meant to be destruction…Fire is just life."

He smiled softly before looking to the boy and gestured to the gauntlets. "And now you wear the _Solaris Gauntlets_ – The Power of the Sun. They were forged in the heart of the very Sun that lights your sky by myself and my uncle Hephaestus, the God of the Forge. With these, you will have the power to control and manipulate the element of fire and all matter relating to heat. Including that of my crystallised blood. Use it wisely" Jaune nodded before he blinked at this.

"Wait, your crystallised blood?" he nodded.

"Yes, you will be able to control all elements of Fire Dust, the crystallization of my lifeblood."

"Are you telling me that Dust…is your blood?"

"Well, Fire Dust is the crystallization of my blood. The other elements came from my mother, father, brothers and sisters when we fought long ago." He notched the boy's immense confusion. "Oh right, you humans don't know. You fight against the Grimm, right?" Jaune nodded. "What do you think we Gods fought?"

Jaune looked confused as Ignis looked up.

"It's a long story, one that I'm not much of a storyteller. But let's just say there was an ancient-battle-aeons ago, and the result of that battle was our blood was shed upon your world. We won, but due to it soaking the earth and after centuries our blood crystallised and became the element of Dust that your kind mine and use. Your kind is literally harnessing the power of the Gods." Jaune stumbled a little at that realization.

"That's…insane." Ignis chuckled a little.

"Yeah tell me about it,"

"But…what were you fighting to cause that much bloodshed?" he asked as he thought about how much Dust there was on the earth and the implications of such a Godly battle. Ignis' face slowly morphed into a serious one as he rubbed at his side.

"Let's just say there are some battles…you don't ever want to see, kid." He shook his head as he clapped his hands. "Anyway, off the depressing topic. So, you can control and produce near unlimited amount of fire from those gauntlets. Even able to redirect and absorb fire from attackers. Will work well against that fire tainting, no good, abusing son of a bit-! Sorry about that." Ignis stopped himself as he apologised.

"You also gain increased resistance to fire and heat. But you can't create a fire if there is no oxygen in the air. Oxygen is the fuel for all fires after all. And don't overuse them, you're mortal after all and these were meant for a God. If you overexert yourself, you run the risk of burning yourself maybe even killing yourself. It will be almost the same with all the gifts. But given time you may be able to overcome this, understand?" Jaune nodded as he flexed his fingers.

"I will…oh, um, how do I?"

"Summon and un-summon them?" Jaune nodded. "Just imagine a rising sun and holding it in your hands and they will appear. Imagine the sun setting, and it will disappear."

"It is time to tell you about your next trial. It will take place in a few weeks and will be hosted by my darling sister Aquarius." As if on cue, the Goddess of Water appeared.

" _I can announce my own trial, Ignis."_ She scolded as the fiery God nodded.

"Sorry, sis,"

 _"But yes child, your next trial will be mine. In two week's time, you must venture out to the centre of the Ocean. Between the Islands of Sanus and Anima. There, your trial of the Water God shall begin."_ She spoke with a commanding tone, as Ignis stepped forward and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Good luck kid, you're going to need it."

And in a flash of light Jaune disappeared from the void and found himself in the forest. The tree no longer on fire, but perfectly fine. The Solaris Gauntlets glowing against the night sky as he stared at them before imagining a setting sun and they disappeared.

"Well, that was an experience. I wonder how long I was gone for. I started this thing at 9, and I feel like I was in that place for hours. So, I'm guessing the time is…" his eyes widened. "9:05? What the hell? I could've sworn I was in there for more than five minutes-! …oh, God of Time, right. Probably made the dimensions exist outside of time or something like that…." he sighed as he shook his head.

"I am too old for this shit." He texted Ozpin to meet him in the vault as he had much to discuss.

And to test out his new powers.

* * *

Beacon Vault

* * *

The elevator softly hummed as Jaune stood in the corner of the elevator. His eyes staring at the slowly passing numbers as he waited for the lift to reach the underground vault. The secret hiding place for the Relic of Choice. Of course, the actual Vault was the Relic was hidden was inside the Vault and only the Maiden of Fall could unlock it. To this day he still didn't fully understand why Vale's vault was different from the other vaults, but that didn't matter to him.

What mattered to him right now was that he had passed the first Trial. He had acquired the powers of the God of Fire and was one step closer to bringing this whole war to an end. But despite this victory, he still feared the possibility that he would fail the next test. That he would fail in restoring mankind, keeping his friends alive and preventing the horrible future that he had experienced.

He didn't care that his soul would be cast into hell for all eternity. All he cared about was that his friends got the second chance they deserved, not the fate they got.

The elevator chimed as the doors opened and he walked into the large halls of the vault. His footsteps echoing out as he walked the long stretch until he made it to the end of the hall. His eyes glanced over to the small arrangement of furniture and personal effects that were brought in to make Amber more comfortable after she had regained consciousness.

Said woman was over in the corner in her wheelchair. Her mood still hadn't changed as she was still dealing with the fact that she was now stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Ozpin sat stood behind her as he looked sadly at the woman, feeling responsible for her condition. Jaune sighed as he managed to get the man's attention,

"Ah, Mister Arc. Welcome back." Amber turned into the direction of Jaune as a small bit of life returned to her eyes. "I would be right in assuming you being here means that you've passed the first trial?"

"Yeah, I passed. But I've got to tell you what if that what it takes to pass them, I am going to need a lot more training if I want to pass all of them. But I got to say, the reward…" he imaged a rising sun in his hands as his arms glowed and the Solaris Gauntlets took shape. "Totally worth it."

Ozpin and Amber stared in a slight mixture of awe of trepidation as they stared at the glowing gauntlets that looked as if they lined with magma.

"That…that is incredible Mister Arc. And here I'd thought I'd seen all kinds of Relics and magical objects. And yet the universe continues to surprise me." Jaune nodded as he turned them over and observed them. "Well, I think it is safe to assume that you will need training in order to wield those gauntlets, correct?"

"Yeah, every gift I get from the Gods, I have to learn how to control them. Otherwise, these things could kill me."

"Then I suggest we get started. Let us see how powerful these gifts are." Jaune raised an eyebrow as he looked to the man.

"Wait, you want to start right now and here of all places? Are you sure?" he asked as the man nodded.

"Of course, Mister Arc. I designed these Vaults to be almost impervious and able to contain the power of the Relics. Besides, we can't afford to bring Salem's attention to new magical items brought into the world. This should be a fine spot to master your new abilities." He reassured as Jaune nodded and turned to face the east side of the vault. Out of the way of Ozpin and Amber as he pulled back his fist and felt a sudden course of power resonating inside the gauntlet as he thrust his fist forward.

What happened next literally blew him off their feet as a massive ball of fire, far large then any ball of Fire that Cinder or even Salem had ever produced was launched from the gauntlets and practically incinerated several pillars into molten slag as the fireball slammed into the wall and shook the whole school.

"What the hell was that?!" Yang asked no one in particular as she and everyone else looked around in confusion as they felt the whole school shake.

Thick black smoke covered the vault as Jaune, Amber and Ozpin could only stare bug-eyed at the molten slag and shining glass that left in its wake as a massive crater of glass imprinted the far-off wall. Ozpin and Amber gaped at the damage while Jaune turned back to face them as the gauntlet smoked slightly and they stared in fear of the God of Fire's gift.

"…Mister Arc."

"…Yeah, Oz?"

"…I believe it would be best if we trained inside the actual Vault of Choice, yes?" Jaune nodded his head.

"…Y-Yeah. That's a good idea."

* * *

 **And Scene. Well after a long, long, long time. Here is the Proper Chapter V of Trial of the Gods. Sorry for the long wait, I had so much going on in my life and I only now have time to write my stories for you all. I am on my Uni break so I should be able to write more and update stories like this, as well as Restart, Remnant and Haki. Might also introduce a few new stories, but they are only in the development stage and am more focused on my popular and most request ones that I have interest in.**

 **Also, what do you think about my theory of Dust being the crystallised remnants of the Gods blood? It would be a cool concept and in the show apparently the Gods of Light and Dark thought each other, it's possible when gods bleed they leave behind Dust.**

 **This is subject to change if it is stated otherwise in the show, but until then it is the blood of my Fictional Gods.**

 **So, tell me what you think of Jaune's trial and any suggestions for the future trials and what they should be about relating to both Jaune and the Element he is about to master. Next chapter will be a gear updating one, as I feel Jaune needs to update his equipment and master the Solaris Gauntlets, also name suggestions for future gifts would be appreciated with a Review. So, Stay tuned for next time in…**

 **Chapter VI: of Gauntlets and Armour**


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